Two RCMP police cruisers were destroyed, a nearby funeral evacuated and much of Dauphin, Manitoba’s downtown business core was closed on the afternoon of Sept. 10, when fire raged through the facilities of Kelleher Ford. The fire, determined to be caused by a faulty air conditioner, spread quickly after breaking out, officials said. The building’s wooden construction was fanned by stiff winds and was quickly consumed by flames.
All persons within the dealership were safely evacuated and there were no injuries.
At one point early in the proceedings the Dauphin First United Church next door was threatened and a funeral already underway was forced to relocate to another church.
Kelleher officials say the dealership will be rebuilt in another undisclosed area of town but for the time being, business will be conducted – more or less as usual – from the part of the dealership kitty-corner from the fire, which was not affected by the fire.
General manager Chuck Burton said he was alerted to a smoke alarm at the back end of the offices where smoke was rolling from the computer room. “I could see flames coming out of our air conditioner which is originally where I thought it had started.”
Burton said he tried to extinguish the blaze himself, but on checking the outside of the office saw it was completely engulfed in flames. “We just evacuated everyone out of the building and made sure the fire department was aware. We just stood and watched what happened.”
When firefighters arrived on the scene, said fire chief Cam Abrey, the fire was spreading rapidly and more than a dozen explosions – mostly from mounted tires blowing off, but also petroleum products and other combustibles – were heard.
“When a car’s burning the tires’ pressure builds up, so the tires started blowing off,” Burton recounted. “We had oil and fuel drums back there (in the service bay area of the dealership) that were capped off, so once they became pressurized they had to release somehow, and you get a big bang coming off that.”
Heavy, acrid smoke engulfed much of the downtown. The Co-op grocery store’s ventilation system sucked in the smoke and caused its closure that day and for two days after, as spoiled produce was sourced and replaced, officials said.
The dealership has been in business under the Kelleher banner for about three years; prior to that it was known as Forman Ford.
By Joe Knycha, filed from Dauphin, Manitoba
