A fire at the Wellington City maintenance shop on 100 East caused extensive damage to the building Sunday evening. A former city employee who was passing by saw smoke billowing out of the building and called to report the fire at about 6:45 p.m.
Wellington Fire Chief Matt Perea said two engines from the Wellington Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call and arrived on scene within five minutes. The Price Fire Department followed with one engine, in keeping with the mutual aid agreement between the cities. Twenty firefighters were on scene.
The nearest fire hydrant was across Main Street, which resulted in a detour of SR-6 traffic for approximately 45 minutes before firefighters hooked up to another supply on 200 East through the city park block.
Chief Matt Perea said the damage was confined to a storage room above the shop office. The cause of the fire appeared to be an electrical light fixture the storage area. He said the damage was limited to some shelving and plastic pipe fittings. The shop bay doors will need to be replaced. A dump truck, backhoe, and riding mowers were also housed in the 5,500 square-foot building, and they all appear to be functioning well.
Mayor Joan Powell said it hasn’t been determined whether the shop will be repaired or rebuilt.
The incident will not affect the city’s Pioneer Days Celebration this weekend.
Fire damages Wellington City maintenance shop
Wellington fire fighters, with backup from Price, had to lay long hoses from distant hydrants.