Fire destroys car dealership in Dutton, impacts downtown

A massive fire at a car dealership in Dutton has destroyed the business and forced the closure of part of the southwestern Ontario town's main street.

Emergency crews were called to the Cotrac Ford Lincoln dealership on Currie Road just before 10 p.m. ET Wednesday night and found the sales centre at the business fully engulfed in flames, said Don MacLeod, the interim chief administrative officer in Dutton.

"It's a nice modern-looking building that's been refurbished, and when I drove in this morning, the structure is virtually destroyed. There's bits and pieces standing, but it looks like a complete loss."

Dutton has over 4,000 residents and is southwest of London.

The dealership is in the centre of the town, across the street from the building that houses municipal offices, and is an integral part of the community, MacLeod added.

"Our thoughts are with all the families that have workers there. We're very grateful that no lives were lost," he said.

A 12-unit apartment building west of the dealership was evacuated late Wednesday night because of heavy smoke in the area and the chance that the fire could spread, MacLeod added. Residents who had nowhere to go were sent to the town's community centre and permitted to return home at 5 a.m. Thursday.

Fire crews from nearby communities, including West Elgin, Southwold, and Central Elgin, came to help Dutton Dunwich firefighters.

"The fire service was able to contain the fire and prevent spread to adjacent structures," MacLeod said.