Firefighters: Discarded cigarette sparks fire at Harrisville storage unit
Jan 22, 2024, 10:34 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2024, 6:49 am
HARRISVILLE — Fire ripped through a storage unit facility Monday after crews said someone tossed a cigarette and ignited the blaze.
Chief Kris Maxfield with the North View Fire District said two units were destroyed and all 28 units sustained smoke damage from the fire at Northpointe Storage.
The fire shut down a section of Wall Avenue near U.S. Highway 89 Monday evening as crews tapped into water from across the street.
According to Maxfield, firefighters initially struggled to access water on the property of the storage unit facility.
“It’s a big problem,” Maxfield said. “I know our partners at Weber Fire District had the same issue up in Nordic Valley just recently. It’s always a challenge. We again always encourage everybody to clear the fire hydrants — 3 feet around in all directions — to make sure, number one, we can find them and, number two, we can access them when we need.”
Maxfield said once the fire started, the individual who tossed the cigarette attempted unsuccessfully to put out the fire and then called for help.
He said firefighters would be monitoring the facility overnight to ensure the fire did not start up again.