New fire crew tackles OPP station blaze
Inaugural call for some of Cambridge’s newest firefighters and new aerial truck involves coming to aid of another emergency service
CAMBRIDGE — Firefighters at Cambridge’s new station on the corner of Maple Grove Road and Boxwood Drive didn’t waste any time getting to work.
At about 2:30 p.m., firefighters were called to the Cambridge OPP detachment at 500 Beaverdale Rd., where a fire had broken out in the back of the building.
The building had been cleared and everyone was reported as safe. It’s believed about six staff members were in the building at the time.
Fire crews from the new Station 6 and Hespeler fought the stubborn flames that gradually ripped through the roof of the building from end to end over about two hours.
During the course of the blaze everyone was kept back from the structure for fear ammunition stored in a locker at the rear of the building might be cooked off by the heat of the flames. That didn’t happen.
It was the inaugural call for some of the newest members of the Cambridge Fire Department and its new $1.5-million aerial truck, which officially went into service Tuesday afternoon.
OPP officials are overseeing security of the building and implementing a contingency plan to cover the Cambridge detachment area (including provincial highways such as the 401) while the police station remains out of commission.
OPP Const. Lauren Ball told media at the scene residents won’t see any disruptions to service, as all operations will be temporarily run from the police service’s Milton detachment.
We all just stood in disbelief that it spread so quickly. CONST. LAUREN BALL Ontario Provincial Police
“We still have officers on the road and we’re responding to calls for service,” she explained outside the detachment in quick press conference.
Ball said it was “surreal” for staff members to have to stand by at the scene and watch the blaze progress, as fire and smoke moved through the building, eventually causing the collapse of the roof.
“We all just stood in disbelief that it spread so quickly.”
Ball said staff members grabbed whatever they could as they evacuated, but damage to the building and contents pales in comparison to the potential loss. She lauded fire crews who worked “tirelessly” to combat the fire.