Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Pat Darte is responding to the massive fire that broke out on Sunday at the Lavender Festival.
“I am thankful that no one was seriously injured” says Lord Mayor Pat Darte. “Our Fire Department reacted quickly and efficiently and minimized what could have been a much worse scenario. I would like to thank all of the First Responders for their actions and good sense in making sure everything was done in the safest way possible. This cooperative effort ensured that we were able to make the best of a bad situation. People whose cars were no longer able to drive were offered transportation, accommodation and advised where to get nourishment if needed. We did our best to make sure their needs were met to the best of our abilities.”
The blaze broke out just before 4pm on Sunday just behind Hare Winery Company on Niagara Stone Road.
34 vehicles were damaged in total (19 completely destroyed and another 15 with some extent of damage) and damage is estimated between $1.2 and $1.5 million.
While there were no civilian injuries, a number of firefighters were treated by paramedics at the scene for heat exhaustion.
Approximately 42 firefighters were on scene.
In an interview with 610CKTB earlier this week, NOTL Fire Chief Rob Grimwood said he had warned the event that this could happen, given the dry conditions.
Grimwood said this was one of the fastest-moving fires he has seen in his career.