A fire ravaged Markey Mechanical Ltd. in Williams Lake overnight and into the early morning hours Sunday, June 16.
Williams Lake Fire Department (WLFD) assistant chief Cory Boyd said the WLFD was dispatched to a reported vehicle fire at the 1170 Mackenzie Ave South location at 11:57 p.m.
"When our duty officer arrived, the fire had extended into the awnings of the building and started to penetrate the roof," Boyd said. "The first engine crew began knocking down the fire while the ladder was set up to put water on the roof fire."
Boyd said the roof partially collapsed from fire damage shortly after and crews worked to stop the spread.
"The adjacent portion of the building was pressurized to help prevent the fire from spreading. The fire was stopped in the ceiling before entering the shop beside the pressurized portion."
Boyd noted once the fire was under control around 3 a.m., the ladder and duty truck with a four-man crew stayed on scene to extinguish hot spots where the roof had collapsed and were on scene until around 7:30 a.m.
Markey Mechanical Ltd. has been in business for more than 30 years.
Some of the vehicles parked closed to the building were also destroyed.
Boyd said the cause of the vehicle fire is under investigation.
A witness at the scene Sunday morning praised the fire department for stopping the fire from spreading further.
"They are worth every penny we pay them," he said.
This article has been updated from the original with information from the Williams Lake Fire Department.
