Firefighters from three stations battled a massive blaze at the Maris Technical in Merlin late on Oct. 5.
Chatham-Kent firefighters from Station 17 were paged out at 11:07 p.m. for a structure fire at Maris Technical. The business provides automotive and farm equipment repair from a historic one-story building.
Crews pulled out of the fire hall and could see heavy fire and smoke pushing from the windows and roof of the structure located about 300 feet (100 meters) down the street. The assistant station chief for the Merlin station immediately requested mutual aid from Station 16 (Raleigh South) and an aerial ladder from Station 19 (Tilbury).
The fire threatened two other properties on the Bravo and Delta sides of the structure.
Pumpers from Stations 16 and 17 unloaded a furry of water from their monitors in an attempt to gain the upper hand on the inferno. The ladder truck from Tilbury arrived and set up, only to stand by due to lack of water pressure from the hydrant in the small town of Merlin.
The roof collapsed and firefighters brought in heavy equipment to knock down the remaining walls. Firefighters worked ferociously to save the home on the Delta side.
The blaze is still being investigated and the cause has yet to be determined.
Units on scene: Chatham-Kent Fire Services 17-11, 17-12, 17-13, 16-11, 16-12, 16-13, 19-14
