A fire caused by a vapor explosion at Chuck’s Auto Repair in Antrim Monday afternoon has left a portion of the building unusable.
Antrim Fire & Ambulance were dispatched at 3:40 p.m. for a structure fire at 1168 Concord St. and the first arriving officer reported heavy smoke with a working fire.
Antrim Fire Chief Marshall Gale said the fire was likely caused by an ignition of gasoline by an electrical pump while employees were working on an automobile outside the shop.
“They were outside the building transferring gas from the tank and during that time vapor accumulated,” Gale said. “Any time you’re dealing with gas, vapors can be a real hazard.”
Gale said that residual gasoline from the transfer caused a vapor explosion, which ignited the side of the building, but that no one was injured and the fire was extinguished using a dry-hydrant water supply on Mulhall Farm Road in Antrim.
“We had a quick response,” he said.
The first-arriving engine company deployed two hose lines to the side of the building and knocked down the bulk of the fire, containing it to that side, Gale said, adding that fire crews were able to enter the attic area through the ceiling, which allowed them to extinguish the fire.
Gale said there was concern about the structural integrity on one side of the building due to damage of the roof trusses, but that the majority of the building was usable.
Firefighters and police from Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Hancock, Hillsborough, Greenfield and Peterborough responded to the fire.