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Corvette, motorcycles and antiques destroyed in Callander fire

Smoke was pouring out the garage door

Fire destroyed a garage full of antiques, rare motorcycles and a Chevy Corvette on Green Road in Callander this (Saturday) afternoon.

The cause has not been determined but it is not considered suspicious. No one was injured.

Owner Brent McLeod told BayToday that he was sleeping when the fire was discovered by his wife Linda and neighbour Rick Miller around 2:20 p.m. They called 911.

Smoke was pouring out the garage door, Linda said. The fire spread quickly because the building contained gasoline and oil for the vehicles.

"We had the garden hose right here, but it didn't do any good. I couldn't quite reach the fire," said Brent.

Lost in the fire was the Corvette, a 1946 Indian motorcycle, a Triumph Bonneville, a Harley Davidson and many parts and tools.

"I had a bunch of antiques in there," added Linda. "I collected wartime toy sewing machines."

The couple had also just spent $6,000 replacing the structure's roof.

Paint cans exploding in the fire could be heard as far away as the yacht club. Black smoke was visible from Pinewood Park Drive.

The fire from the wooden structure was so intense it melted the siding on the McLeod home 30 feet away. The couple has lived in the house over 35 years and it sits on the south shore of Callander Bay.

Seventeen members of the Callander Volunteer Fire Department extinguished the blaze.

"When we arrived on scene we saw a detached garage fully involved. Flames were 10 feet above the structure," Chief Todd Daley told BayToday. "The heat was very high and was melting the siding off the house so we got water on the fire and knocked it down pretty well. We made sure the house didn't catch on fire, which was a big thing."

Three trucks poured water on the blaze, and additional water was pulled from Callander Bay. "We had plenty of water," explained Daley.

A construction machine with a grappling arm was nearby, having been used just the day before to repair the road.

"We got hold of the owner of that to come in and tear the building apart so we could put it out."

McLeod said he feels lucky the fire didn't occur yesterday, as the road was dug up for repair and wouldn't have allowed firefighters access to his property.


Jeff Turl

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