Grand Forks RCMP are investigating a fire that destroyed a tire shop east of the city, according to Dep. Fire Chief Stephane Dionne.
Dionne said the department was called to a “suspicious” fire at Tire Wire at around 5:15 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27. The garage on the 6400-block of Highway 3 was “a complete loss” after burning tires fueled an inferno that ripped through the tin-framed building. An unidentified vehicle inside the garage was also lost, he said.
The fire appears to have started in front of the garage. Two nearby cars were also damaged by the heat, which melted vinyl siding on a private residence behind Tire Wire.
Dionne declined to say why he believed the fire was suspicious, explaining that Mounties took over his investigation after gathering evidence at the scene.
No one was injured in the fire, Dionne said.
Grand Forks Fire/Rescue volunteers arrived on-scene within 10 minutes of the first call to 911, battling the flames for around 45 minutes before reining in the blaze that put up a thick plume of black smoke.
Dionne said he didn’t anticipate that the fire would lead to any environmental damage.
The Gazette was awaiting comment from Grand Forks RCMP when this story was first published online Thursday afternoon.
— More details to come
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