Fire Rips Through West Ward Building

Fire ripped through a West Ward building Monday afternoon.

Fire officials say the cause of the blaze at 1139 Ferry Street was under investigation. 

Despite the building's address, it was actually a garage located behind 1139 Ferry, between Ferry and Pine streets.

The Express-Times says the garage was owned by neighborhood mechanic Jason Thompson.

The fire was reported around 4:20 p.m., and brought under control fairly quickly.

noted that things could have been much worse, due to the day's high winds, which had already led the National Weather Service to issue a fire warning.

"In this weather, with this wind, we could have gone to the whole block," Price said, meaning the fire could have spread to the whole block.

His hair and eyebrows were singed; Price said it happened when he shut off a fuel oil tank that was on the property.

Initial scanner reports indicated the fire had been set by children. 

"There was someone who called 911 who said that, but I haven't been able to confirm it," Price said.