Central York Fire Services responded to reports of an explosion and black smoke in a commercial building in Newmarket.
On Nov. 22 at 3:31 p.m., crews were called to a manufacturing building on Ringwell Drive, east of Leslie Street and south of Green Lane.
Upon arrival, they found smoke coming from a containment enclosure in the building. The cause was determined to be battery failure during "planned scientific destructive testing," CYFS said.
The fire was contained to the enclosure but smoke was spreading to the rest of the building, prompting fire crews to search the ventilation system, as well as the rest of the building.
All employees at the facility were evacuated and there were no injuries reported. The fire was fully extinguished.
CYFS responded to the fire with six trucks, 24 firefighters, one command vehicle with two chief officers on scene. Police, paramedics, and utility companies also attended.
With most of CYFS's resources responding to the call, mutual aid was initiated with firefighters from Richmond Hill providing coverage in Aurora in case other calls came in.
In the wake of the fire, CYFS is reminding workers of the importance of knowing the fire safety features and emergency procedures at their workplace. You should also know all the exits by your workspace in case the closest one is blocked, as the first priority in the event of a fire is to get outside.
