Fire chief warned organizers not to use hay field for parking
$1.2-million-plus blaze destroys or damages 34 cars at lavender festival
It was the acrid stench of smoke that replaced the sweet smell of lavender Monday as officials picked their way through a burned hay field that had doubled as a parking area for the Niagara Lavender Festival.
The field had been full of firefighters Sunday as the blaze off Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake destroyed 19 cars and left another 15 damaged.
Monday, it was the haunt of Insurance adjusters who spent a good part of the day inspecting vehicles and Ministry of the Environment officials checking soil for contamination from spilled fuel.
Niagara-on-the-Lake fire Chief Rob Grimwood was also there Monday. About half the wrecks had been removed.
“We are estimating the damage to the vehicles at $1.2 million to $1.5 million,” he said. “It is hard to say
exactly. We don’t know all the makes and models. One of the vehicles is a new Tesla with only 600 kilometres on it.”
More than 100 other vehicles parked in the same field escaped damage from the fire, which was contained to the southeast corner.
Grimwood said an investigation revealed the fire started under a single vehicle and was likely caused when a hot exhaust or catalytic converter came in contact with the dry hay. Parking lot attendants scrambled to try and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher to no avail.
Grimwood said the lavender festival organizers had been advised not to use the field for parking because of the risk of fire.
He called the blaze one of the fastest moving he has ever seen.
“It’s field of fresh-cut hay,” he said. “It was very dry and very hot. When I pulled in, there were about seven cars fully involved. It spread rapidly.
“We ended up with 11 fire trucks and 42 firefighters on scene, and we took a very methodical approach.”
He said the nearest water source was a low-pressure hydrant about 600 metres away and across the road.
“We tried to figure out which vehicles could be saved. We focused our resources and our water on that. We drew a line and put our hose lines along it to essentially create a water curtain and protect the undamaged vehicles.”
Niagara Regional Police officers closed Niagara Stone Road in both directions at Airport Road and Concession 7 Road for several hours.
The owners of Niagara Essential Oils and Blends, which runs the popular festival, couldn’t be reached by phone.
It was business as usual at the Niagara Essential Oils store Monday with samples for the public and tours of the field and processing operation. An employee said the owners weren’t on the property and weren’t available to comment.
Tom Jenkins, a Niagara-on-the-Lake resident and former volunteer firefighter, stopped and looked over the damage Monday morning out of curiosity.
“I saw the smoke from my boat on the lake,” Jenkins said. “I texted one of the firefighters and asked what was going on. He said all kinds of cars were on fire.
“It was crazy to park cars out here. You don’t park a car in a field of freshly cut hay.”
Kerissa Franken, 18, of Niagara Falls, was working at the festival on the Johnny Rocco’s Pizza Wagon. The food truck was parked on the other side of Niagara Stone Road near the lavender field.
“We were making lavender pizza,” she said. “It was really good with potatoes, mozzarella and cream cheese on top. People loved it.
“When the fire started around 4 p.m. all you could see was black smoke. I figured there was nothing I could do, so I kept working. We were busy. The police were already here, and I could hear the fire trucks coming.
“At 5 p.m., we started closing because we ran out of dough. That’s when I went to see what was happening. I never thought for a minute my car might be involved.”
Franken said she couldn’t remember exactly where she had parked in the field. Her heart sank when she saw the 2003 Tracker she shares with her grandmother. It was in the part of the field that was burning.
Grimwood said the fire department and police kept the owners of cars away from the field until the fire was under control.
At one point, Grimwood watched a vehicle explode and send a part hurtling 50 metres through the air. It smashed the window of a car parked in another part of the field.
Franken returned Monday with her mother as a flatbed tow truck removed her car from the field.
She praised the fire department and the police for their handling of what she called a chaotic situation.
“The lord mayor came and met with us, and so did the police,” she said. “They talked to us about insurance and gave us a sheet with information on it. At one point, I started to cry. I have only had my licence for three weeks.
“I was here by myself, so I called my mom and told her the car was in a big fire. I told her she would probably see it on the news.”
“I was here by myself, so I called my mom and told her the car was in a big fire. I told her she would probably see it on the news.”
KERISSA FRANKEN
18, of Niagara Falls