A “significant” fire demolished two auto body shops in Vanier yesterday, the Ottawa fire department said.
Firefighters were called to the three-alarm fire at 373 Marguerite Ave. – which housed Canadian Car Collision and Reliable Auto – at 12:40 a.m.
It took 64 firefighters with 20 vehicles almost five hours to bring the fire, which also destroyed eight vehicles and a fishing boat, under control.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but there is no reason to believe it is suspicious, said spokesman Marc Messier.
“We’ve only had about seven or eight fires over $1 million this year, so this was a fairly large fire,” Messier said.
The fire was difficult to fight because of the fuel, tires and gas tanks in the building, said Messier. Crews had to bring in heavy equipment to break through the walls.
