By Kevin Purdy
TOWN OF NIAGARA — A fuel explosion caused a junkyard fire that burned and smoldered for more than an hour Monday, sending a cloud of black smoke into the air that could be seen as far away as Fort Erie, Ont.
Dozens of firefighters from at least four companies responded to Garlock’s Auto Parts at 2360 Maryland Ave. after receiving an emergency call shortly before 1 p.m. that a fire had started at a compactor and set fire to other scrap materials nearby.
A specialty “foam” truck from the nearby Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station was called in to contain the blaze, which consumed tires, petroleum byproducts from scrapped cars and other hard-to-contain refuse. Firefighters and others helping at the scene said the fire triggered small explosions as it reached fuel tanks and other materials throughout the yard.
Peter Borys, public affairs representative for the 914th Airlift Wing, said its firefighters reported more than 50 cars were burning when they arrived at the scene.
The exact origin of the fire was still under investigation Monday night. While some police and fire officials said at the scene that a car had exploded inside the compactor, the owner of the yard said a fuel line on the compactor itself had broken and flared up.
Nobody was hurt or injured from the fire, but a Niagara Active Hose firefighter was taken for treatment of an ankle injury. Officials with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Niagara County Health Department were called to check the scene for run-off water or other potential hazards.
The actual flames lasted for about 30 minutes, according to Dan Hosie, chief of Niagara Active Hose. At about 2:20 p.m., the black cloud escaping the yard had turned mostly white, and the fire was declared “knocked down” by the responding fire companies.
Active Hose responders stayed on scene until about 6 p.m. Firefighters from Grand Island stayed on-call at Active Hose’s station throughout the afternoon.
“I think it went pretty well, considering the amount of material that was burning,” Hosie said. “It took awhile, but we got it under control.”
Daniel Garlock, owner of the auto yard, said he had been eating lunch inside his business’ office with another employee when the fire started.
“We emptied all the extinguishers we had, chemical and water,” Garlock said. “We couldn’t refill the water extinguishers because there’s no running water down the whole street.”
Garlock said his business, which his father Alan Garlock opened in 1956, would be open and operating today. Garlock’s junkyard license was denied for renewal last month for non-compliance with town regulations, but could be renewed at another meeting.
“People say we’re tough on these junkyards when it comes to regulations, but this is a pretty good example of why it’s necessary,” said Town of Niagara Supervisor Steven Richards.
Smoke from the fire was visible on the Niagara Thruway in Buffalo, and callers from Fort Erie, Ont. reported seeing the dark cloud.
Firefighters from Niagara Active Hose, the Upper Mountain Fire Company, Lewiston Fire Company No. 2 and the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station assisted at the scene, along with Town of Niagara police, New York State Police troopers, and local EMS responders.
