Late-night fire destroys workshop in Oro-Medonte, $700K in damages

Firefighters arrived to find the building destroyed by flames.

Late Tuesday evening, firefighters in Oro-Medonte responded to a fully involved workshop fire on the 15/16 Sideroad, where the building was already collapsing on their arrival.

Due to the intensity of the blaze, crews were forced to take a defensive approach, focusing on containing the fire and preventing it from spreading to nearby land.

Officials say the workshop was situated between a home and a barn located on the property. A total of 40 firefighters and 14 tankers responded to the rural area.

Despite the challenging and wintry conditions, firefighters say they were able to bring the flames under control within 20 minutes.

Authorities confirm that there was no one home at the time, and no injuries were reported in the midst.

The fire destroyed several pieces of farming equipment in the workshop.

Officials say the fire is not suspicious, and the cause has been determined to be a result of a block heater.

Damage is estimated at $700,000.