Fenwick fire guts structure
Fire crews battled a raging barn fire in rural Fenwick that sent plumes of thick black smoking billowing into the air early Sunday night.
Observers could see the smoke from as far as Welland.
Pelham fire Chief Robert Lymburner said it didn’t appear there was any livestock in the barn.
Neighbours said the family was away.
“When you look at the houses here, you can see it is a developed area,” Lymburner said. “At this point, it is probably just a barn that was used for storage. We can’t be sure, but in this area, there aren’t many active farms anymore.”
Sharp pops from some smallscale explosions could be heard from inside the barn.
Firefighters assembled a portable water tank on the front lawn of the home, at 454 Welland Rd., as tanker trucks raced to and fro along the narrow road.
Flames more than 10 metres high blistered the evening air. Welland Road was closed in both directions from Effingham Street to Centre Street.
The house was far enough from the barn that firefighters focused their efforts on the blaze and surrounding trees and shrubs.
The heat was so intense that a portable basketball hoop in the driveway caught fire and began to melt.
“It was fully involved when we arrived,” Lymburner said of the barn. “We are putting water to it now and knocking it down. It doesn’t look like there are a lot of exposures other than the trees. We are focusing on the barn and some of the surrounding brush.”