A violent fire of still undetermined origin ravaged the central part of a warehouse approximately 700 feet long on Gingras Street in Warwick on Tuesday evening.
The Fire Safety Service (SSI) was alerted at 6:25 p.m. “The fire was already advanced. The call from passers-by indicated that they saw flames coming from the roof,” the director of the SSI, Mathieu Grenier, told www.lanouvelle.net.
This warehouse and the other buildings on the site belong to the Repco company. But the hardware store BMR rented the warehouse for the storage of hardware equipment and materials, including wood.
Around forty firefighters, including firefighters from Kingsey Falls and Victoriaville who came to assist, were deployed. “The work was efficient. It was a good collaboration, which allowed us to save the ends of the warehouse,” commented Director Grenier.
The fire destroyed the central part of the warehouse, approximately 200 feet long by 70 feet wide, the officer said.
The firefighters were able to count on machinery, including a mechanical shovel, to facilitate their extinguishing work.
The imposing building in front of the warehouse was spared. The firefighters protected it and suffered no damage, except to the paint.
A security perimeter was established in the area, first by police officers from the Sûreté du Québec, then by SIUCQ agents who also saw to the rehabilitation of the firefighters.
The cause of the incident is unknown at this time. Research work into the cause and circumstances of the fire is ongoing.
As for the damage caused, it is significant. They are roughly estimated at a few hundred thousand dollars.
Belgium
