$3M vintage car collection ravaged by fire

CA LG A RY Over $3 million worth of vintage cars, collectibles, and restored farm machinery were destroyed in a warehouse fire in a north of Olds.

Members of the Olds Fire Department were called to a rural location north of Olds on Range Road 14 on Thursday where they found a large structure completely engulfed in smoke and flame.

In a statement, the Olds Fire Department said the 40,000-squarefoot building was a shop that housed a collection of “vintage and one-ofa-kind automobiles, restored farm machinery, and collectibles.”

The structure and all of its contents were lost in the fire and the Olds Fire department said the damage is expected to exceed $3 million.

Several other buildings, including two residences, were at risk.

In total, 33 firefighters from the Olds, Bowden, Didsbury, Carstairs and Sundre fire departments spent six hours in freezing temperatures to get the blaze under control. Over 140,000 gallons of water was hauled to the scene of the fire.

A crew from Fortis Alberta delivered a generator to restore power to the property and the crew remained on scene throughout the night. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, but there was some minor damage to firefighting equipment due to freezing conditions.

The Olds Fire department said the fire started in the shop in an area where paint was stored.