Fire damages Moncton RV dealership

CTV Atlantic: Fire damages Moncton RV dealership A late night fire caused thousands in damage to a Moncton RV dealership, right before their busy season. CTV’s Cami Kepke has more.

An RV dealership in Moncton sustained thousands of dollars in damage after a fire late Wednesday night.

"You could see the flames coming through the roof from up around the Moncton Coliseum. It was pretty overwhelming," says Steve Barr, general manager of the Moncton RV Center.

Fifteen firefighters raced to the business just before 10 p.m., as flames ripped through a packed service bay.

While the crews had the fire under control in roughly two hours, they were forced to take extra precautions.

"The amount of RV's, the amount of potential dangers that's involved. Obviously this is a commercial building where there are hazards present, this is a commercial garage type establishment, so you have all the propane cylinders that could be around," says Chief Fire Investigator Charles LeBlanc.

Two RV's and a tractor trailer parked inside the service bay were destroyed. One of the RV’s was worth more than $30,000.

The attached showroom is now covered in a thick layer of soot.

Investigators believe there will be a significant amount of structural damage, but say the outcome could have easily been worse.

"Looking around the parking lot here, the amount of recreational vehicles there are, knowing if one of them catches fire, they're probably going to lose a whole bunch, and adding to that fact, the amount of propane cylinders that probably each one of these units have," says LeBlanc.

Staff say they are looking forward to moving on from the fire. The dealership is insured, and a mobile office has been set up.

Barr says the timing of the fire is tough, as their busy season is approaching, but believes they can come out on top.

"We plan to be back at it first thing tomorrow morning. All the staff is here, we're moving units, we have a couple of office trailers,” says Barr.

Investigators say the fire is not considered to be suspicious at the time. They believe it started in one of the RV's, but the cause hasn't been determined.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Cami Kepke.