Wellesley fire investigators expect damages from an early Thursday morning blaze in the township to top the million-dollar mark as they continue to investigate in conjunction with the Ontario Fire Marshal.
Just after 1 a.m. June 23 Linwood and St. Clements fire crews responded to a call at Steed and Evans Limited at the intersection of Ament Line and Kressler Road, about 1.5 km north of Heidelberg.
As many as eight large salt-spreading trucks were either destroyed or damaged in the blaze, with the price tag expected to total $1.6-million, said fire chief Andrew Lillico, who praised the rapid response of his staff.
“[The firefighters] did a great job of preventing it from further spreading and extinguishing the fire,” said Lillico, adding that large vehicle fires such as this pose significant danger to fire crews and the surrounding area.
“You never quite know how a vehicle is going to react when it’s exposed to fire, such as the tires possibly exploding, and the compressed air and gas lines and shock cylinders can all react to fire.”
The company’s management staff was not in the office Thursday and was unavailable for comment.
Steed and Evans Limited is a heavy construction and engineering company specializing in a wide range of services from construction and aggregate work to property and equipment maintenance.
