A fire in the early morning of Jan. 24 affected well-known Sudbury potato growers Don Poulin Potatoes.
Greater Sudbury Fire Services Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell said firefighters were called out to the Azilda fire around 8:30 a.m. Jan. 24.
The Sudbury Professional Firefighters union said in a Facebook post that volunteer firefighters from District 3 along with career crews from Downtown, New Sudbury, Val Therese, and the Platoon Chief were dispatched.
“On arrival, it was confirmed there was a potato warehouse building on fire,” said the post from the union. “Crews worked quickly to contain the fire and extinguish all hot spots. Unfortunately, the building, equipment, and goods suffered significant smoke and fire damage. There were no reports of injuries.”
Oshell said there was structural damage to the wood frame, steel-clad warehouse. Due to the impact of the fire and subsequent firefighting efforts, the health unit has deemed the potatoes being stored in the warehouse unsafe for consumption.
Another local media outlet is reporting that the potatoes were worth $600,000.
Sudbury.com has put in a call to Don Poulin Potatoes to get more information about the impacts of the fire on the farm.
Oshell said the fire was out by around noon, but firefighters were on scene until 3 p.m., ensuring the structure was made secure.
Fighting the fire was made more difficult by the extreme cold on Friday. A former city bus used as the fire service’s “rehabilitation bus” where firefighters can get warm and use the washroom was brought onto scene.