No injuries in Welland garage fire; blaze not suspicious

Welland Fire and Emergency Services firefighters made quick work of a fire on Second Street Saturday, says Chief Adam Eckhart.

Firefighters were called to 23 Second St. at 12:06 pm for a reported garage fire on the property, just east of King Street.

Trucks responding from headquarters on King Street, less than a kilometer away to the south, reported heavy black smoke as they approached.

“There were no injuries and no one was in the garage at the time. We stretched a 65 millimeter line and began the fire attack.”

Eckhart said the 65 millimeter line is a larger hose that allows firefighters to put more water on a fire and to reach deeper inside a structure.

He said it allowed firefighters to open the garage door and reach the back of the detached structure where the fire was located.

“The sooner you can put more water on a fire, the quicker you can control it.”

Eckhart said garages usually have a lot of contents inside that can contribute to fire growth.

Using a larger fire hose allows firefighters to hit surfaces around the fire and cool them down. That helps reduce a fire’s extension and keeps damage down.

The chief said the fire was contained to the main floor of the two-storey structure with some slight extension to the second.

Six trucks were assigned to the fire, and there were 27 professional and volunteer firefighters on scene.

The fire service also activated call back, which sees off duty firefighters called in to man fire stations in case of another emergency in the city.

Eckhart said BBQ-style propane tanks were removed from the structure by firefighters.

He didn’t have a damage figure and said fire prevention officers would look at the cause.

“There’s nothing suspicious about the fire. It appears to have started in an area where appliances were located on the main floor.”

Niagara Regional Police blocked Second Street at King Street as firefighters worked on scene.