Auto shop destroyed by fire near Kilworthy

Not considered suspicious

Smoke billowed into the air, explosions could be heard Sunday morning from the scene of an auto shop fire near Kilworthy.

Gravenhurst firefighters were called to Dave’s Auto Repair at 7:15 am.

Upon their arrival, they found the flames had taken hold of the steel-clad wood-frame structure – to the point it could not be saved.

Firefighters faced several small explosions throughout the morning as containers of various products were heated by the fire, but there were no injuries.

Water tankers shuttled water to the scene. In addition, water from a small pond on the property was used to fight the flames.

“There were four large storage containers of used oil located in the shop,” said Fire Chief Larry Brassard, “we were concerned about groundwater contamination from these, so the decision was made to let that portion of the building burn up rather than having the oil contaminate the ground in the area any further. This is a sound tactic in areas that are more environmentally sensitive, which is certainly the case here in Muskoka,”

Damage is estimated at $200,000. A customer’s car was inside and was destroyed along with the building.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change was made aware of the incident as a precaution. There were no indications that any of the oil had spilled.

photos via Gravenhurst Fire Department

0 Shares
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin