Fire crews battle two weekend blazes

Brandon fire crews were kept busy over the weekend responding to two separate structure fires.

One blaze destroyed the Full Tilt Towing and Transport storage and equipment shop on 49th Street East early Saturday, while another fire Sunday caused extensive damage to a vacant home on the 1100 block of Sixth Street.

The Full Tilt shop was destroyed, but no one was injured.

The company confirmed the loss in a press release issued Saturday afternoon, stating the fire “burned down” the storage and equipment shop.

“Early this morning, our storage and equipment shop caught fire and burned down,” the release stated. “Luckily, no personnel were injured, and all our staff are safe. The loss of the trucks can easily be overcome; however, we apologize in advance for any delay in services that may come from this as we rebuild.”

Full Tilt said office operations and general towing services would continue as normal. The company also thanked first responders and members of the public who checked in following the fire, offering special appreciation to Brandon Fire and Emergency Services for their quick response.

Fire crews were called to the scene at about 7 a.m. Saturday, Brandon Fire Chief Terry Parlow told the Sun later that afternoon. Firefighters arrived to find the blaze already well involved.

“Everything is under control now,” Parlow said at the time. “Crews are still on scene making sure all remaining hot spots are put out and ensuring there is no extension to anything else.”

Parlow said it was too early to confirm the full extent of the damage, noting crews and investigators were working with the property owner to remove parts of the structure to safely access certain areas and determine the fire’s point of origin. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A second structure fire was reported less than 24 hours later, on Sunday, at a residential building on the 1100 block of Sixth Street.

The crews were notified of the fire at approximately 10:45 a.m. and arrived shortly afterward, Fire Captain Shayne Collister told the Sun.

“The building is residential — it’s a vacant home,” Collister said. “At the moment, nobody is living there, but it seems to me there may have been some unhoused people possibly using the building as shelter.”

Collister said no one was inside the building when firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported.

The fire caused extensive damage to the structure, though Collister said he could not comment on the condition of the building before the blaze.

Collister said crews were able to bring the fire under control after gaining access to the boarded-up structure.

“We were able to gain access by taking down the boards, knocking it down fairly quickly, and then we were just looking for different hot spots and fully extinguishing the building,” he said.

As with Saturday’s fire at the Full Tilt property, the cause of the Sixth Street blaze remains under investigation, and no further details were available Sunday.

» aodutola@brandonsun.com, with files from Matt Goerzen

» X: @AbiolaOdutola