Meaford automotive shop goes up in flames, sparking water safety concerns
Fire crews from multiple municipalities banded together Thursday evening after a major blaze in the Town of Meaford that has forced the closure of a road, a school and disrupted the water supply.
Calls for a fire at Johnny B's used car dealership and auto repair and body shop on Highway 26 came in around 7 p.m.
When crews arrived, the structure was engulfed in flames.
An automotive business is significantly damaged in Meaford, Ont., on Highway 26. Fri., May 26, 2023. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)
Fire officials tell CTV News while there were people inside at the time of the fire.
At its peak, roughly 100 firefighters, many from neighbouring municipalities, including the Blue Mountains, were on the scene.
The HVAC units at the hospital and a retirement home, both within a few blocks, were shut down due to the heavy smoke.
An automotive business is significantly damaged in Meaford, Ont., on Highway 26. Fri., May 26, 2023. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)
There were also hazmat concerns due to the fire happening at a business filled with oil, the fire chief said.
The fire has since been contained, but Highway 26 was closed at Ridge Road for crews who remained at the scene Friday morning to control ongoing hot spots.
While the Ontario Fire Marshal's office was notified, it will not be sending an investigator.
The Town said the cause of the fire is not considered suspicious.
It's unclear how the fire started, but witnesses said flames could be seen in the now scorched repair and body shop area, with dozens of damaged vehicles being moved around with heavy equipment.
Fire crews said they're thankful hundreds of tires behind the building didn't explode, and no one was hurt.
WATER SUPPLY STOPPED
The Town said while no evacuations were necessary, the municipality temporarily stopped the water supply and issued a drinking water and water conservation notice to monitor for any contaminants from the fire.
Residents are asked to avoid drinking or cooking with municipal watere water and limit consumption.
Due to the water issue, Georgian Bay Community School was forced to close for the day.
A water distribution centre has been set up at the Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre on Collingwood Street West.
The municipality has arranged for bulk water delivery at the temporary water distribution centre. Residents are asked to bring bottles and containers to fill.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.