Gulbicki's burns

An early morning fire severely damaged the Gulbicki's Towing and Auto Repair building at 1193 Weirs Blvd. yesterday.

Fire Chief Ken Erickson said that firefighters at the Weirs Beach Station were alerted to reports of smoke at 4:25 a.m. He said that Lieutenant Chris Shipp "could smell smoke even before he left the station and knew he had a building fire right away." Shipp and his crew found smoke drifting through the intersection of Weirs Boulevard and Endicott Street and pouring from the upper part of the building.

Erickson said that the Weirs Beach crew ran a hose line through the front door, but were forced to withdraw when the ceiling collapsed. The crew from Central Station ran a line into the building through the garage, but also retreated in the face of falling debris. Erickson said that after ordering firefighters from the building Captain Bob Landry mounted an attack from outside. "It's a slow way to put out a fire," said the chief.

Erickson said that the fire was brought under control within an hour and firefighters left the scene by 7 a.m. Noting that the roof and attic suffered the greatest damage, he estimated the cost of the fire at about $150,000, but allowed that damage to equipment could add to that figure.

Although no one was injured. Erickson said that "the cold was an issue" and several firefighters left "bumped and bruised" after slipping on the ice.

Erickson said that the fire appeared to have begun in the ceiling or attic of the office, perhaps from an overheated appliance or failed wiring. He said that there was a ceiling fan in the room and blown-in insulation in the ceiling, explaining that insulation can cause electric lighting fixtures and motor units to overheat and ignite.