A shop with living quarters on 4th Avenue in Afton was destroyed by fire early Christmas morning. Firefighters were dispatched to the blaze two different times.

Dennis McDonald, Safety Officer with the Afton Volunteer Fire Department, said the initial call came in at about 12:04 a.m. on December 25. McDonald said upon arrival firefighters found an outbuilding in the backyard of the residence with the roof fully engulfed in flames. The metal building had a shop on the bottom with living quarters on the second floor. According to McDonald, the fire started in the upper level of the structure.

“It was a complicated situation,” said McDonald. “Because the fire was burning on the second level it was not safe for us to enter and fight internally. There were also multiple different additions and wings to the building made of metal that were difficult to access.”

McDonald said crews were on scene for roughly two hours, extinguishing the flames and performing cleanup duties. However, about an hour after leaving, firefighters were dispatched back to the same building. Upon arrival the entire building was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters were again on scene for 2-3 hours working to contain the fire. However, the building was a complete loss.

According to McDonald the cause of the fire remains under investigation. No one was in the structure at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. More the 20 firefighters assisted in working the fire.

Below image provided by the Afton Volunteer Fire Department.