RANDOLPH - One spark is all it took to begin a blaze which eventually consumed a repair shop in Randolph.
On Thursday, just before 2 p.m., the Randolph Fire Department received a call of a fire at Adam's Small Engine Repair at 131 Main St.
According to David Senn, Randolph volunteer firefighter, the property owners first attempted to battle the initial fire themselves until crews arrived on scene.
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Business and apartment destroyed by fire
"It's a small engine repair so they have a lot of lawnmowers and they said they were working on a lawnmower with a welder. There was a spark and it just caught fire," Senn said referring to the cause. "They attempted to put it out with some fire extinguishers that they had but it just spread too rapidly."
Injured in the fire was one of the property owners. According to Senn, the property owner received some burns and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
As the fire spread explosions emanating from the structure were heard from nearby residents and beyond.
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Firefighters battle a blaze at 131 Main St., Randolph, inside Adam’s Small Engine Repair on Thursday afternoon. The structure was deemed a total loss.
Photo and video by Robert Gebhard
"There were a couple oil tanks in there, some propane tanks and then of course there were tires on the lawnmowers," Senn said. "There were a lot of different things that could blow up as it goes."
Fire departments from Randolph, East Randolph, Conewango and Cold Spring responded to the scene while Little Valley and Kennedy responded for standby.
Because the building structure was metal, crews had to spend a few extra hours to extinguish the remaining flames and eventually left the scene just after 6 p.m.
Senn said the building, including the apartment above, was a total loss.