Information supplied by Fire Chief Corwin Quade, Madawaska Valley Fire Department
BARRY’S BAY – On Friday afternoon, September 18, the Madawaska Valley Fire Department arrived at a garage on fire at the 900 block of Dombroskie Road.
Three pumper trucks, two tankers, two rescue trucks and 19 fire fighters responded to the fire.
When the fire fighters arrived on scene the roof of the garage had already collapsed. The fire had spread into the house. The fire was burning on the north wall of the house and going out of the eve. The flames were reaching a height of 40 feet into the air catching the nearby red pine trees on fire.
Tanker trucks shuttled water to the scene from a nearby creek, and a high volume fire pump was set up at the lake. Fire fighters did both a defensive (surround and drown) approach and an interior attack (entering the building) to extinguish the fire.
The owners of the home had been notified by passers-by who were walking their dog that the garage was on fire. Witnesses stated that there was smoke billowing out the eves of the garage (attached to the house) and flames were shooting out near the roof. At this point the residents of the house and their dog evacuated the home, then the home owner opened the garage door and moved his vehicle away from the fire area. The residents of the home then went across the road and awaited the arrival of the fire department.
No one was injured at the fire but the house sustained major damage. The estimated loss is $280,000 and the residents did have fire insurance.
When interviewing the owner, he mentioned that he had last been in the garage about an hour earlier cleaning up. Nothing was wrong in the garage when he had left. This is why it so important to have smoke alarms installed all through homes. This house did have alarms and they did go off once smoke entered the living area of the home.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Right now it appears to have been an electrical issue. OFM was not contacted as this fire is not suspicious.
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