An auto body repair shop in the Harrietsfield area of Halifax is a total loss after a fire early Friday morning.
Halifax Regional Police and Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency were called to the fire at Harrietsfield Auto Services a around 2 a.m. There was no one in the building at the time and no injuries have been reported.
The Harrietsfield fire was the second Halifax-area fire in less than eight hours. Two firefighters were injured in a North Preston blaze Thursday evening after a stairwell collapsed. They were held overnight for observation.
Mike Blackburn, division commander for Halifax fire, said the building was fully engulfed by flames when crews arrived. He said 55 firefighters responded.
Blackburn said fighting a fire at an auto body shop full of flammable chemicals brings its own set of challenges.
"Anything that's tagged auto body, you're always worried about any kind of accelerants, which there would be numerous," he said.
"We had a number of explosions throughout the night ... we're not even sure what they were but I would guess they would have been acetylene and oxygen and every kind of paint thinner or paint products you could think of."
He said the heat from the fire was so intense that fire crews had to cool down one of their own vehicles parked near the structure.
Neighbours near the scene say a home next to the business that was evacuated belonged to people who owned the garage. Luckily, fire crews were able to save the home.
Old Sambro Road is closed between Leiblin Drive and Duggan Lane until further notice.
It's too soon to know what caused the fire. The investigation is expected to begin later today.