Fire at Harrisville storage units may have been sparked by discarded cigarette
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- A view of the damage at Northpointe Storage from a fire that occurred Monday evening, Jan. 22, 2024.
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- An exterior view of Northpointe Storage in Harrisville on Monday, Jan. 23, 2024.
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- In addition to those affected by the flames directly, all units at Northpointe Storage suffered smoke damage.
HARRISVILLE — Firefighters were called to a storage unit facility Monday evening to contain a blaze affecting all of the business’s 28 units.
The fire began at approximately 5 p.m. at Northpointe Storage on Wall Avenue in Harrisville. Crews arrived quickly on the scene following a 911 call from one of the storage unit’s renters, and their efforts to control the situation resulted in a section of the road being shut down, which caused significant traffic delays.
Ryan Barker, North View’s deputy chief and fire marshal, told the Standard-Examiner that five engine companies participated in the containment effort, including crews from North View, Ogden, Weber and South Ogden.
“We have two engine companies in North View and both of them were on medical calls,” Barker said. “So, the first arriving engine was Ogden’s engine 3.”
About 30 people participated in the containment, which resulted in all of the storage units having to be opened up. The fire had largely been put out by 8 p.m.; however, hot spots remained, so an engine was left on-site until about 8 a.m. Tuesday. Three storage units incurred direct fire damage, while the remaining 25 experienced varying levels of smoke damage.
Crews could not locate a fire hydrant on the same side of the street as the storage unit facility. Consequently, they were forced to close part of Wall near the intersection at Harrisville Road/Highway 89 so a hose could be stretched to a hydrant across the street from the facility.
No injuries were reported as having occurred due to the fire, which was reportedly sparked by a discarded cigarette. However, Barker stressed that the incident is still under investigation and no official cause has been determined.
“Storage units are extremely difficult to put out,” Barker added. “We usually lose more than just three units. So, the fire crews were actually very aggressive and did a really good job of keeping it contained.”