MANSFIELD (UPDATED AT 2:30 P.M.) — Smoke billowed from the New Haven Supply Co. building early Wednesday morning.
“There’s nothing, I believe, pointing to a suspicious cause, but at this point, we are still ruling it undetermined,” Mansfield Fire Chief Steve Strickling said.
There were no injuries but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. That should be determined within a few days, fire officials noted.
Five fire trucks and another emergency vehicle were on site this morning as smoke escaped from every door opened by firefighters.
Strickling said they arrived to find “heavy black” smoke coming from the roof and throughout the building.
The fire was located with a thermal imaging camera and put out by a crew of about 25 firefighters.
“We called in some off-duty,” Strickling said.
It seemed to originate from the front of the building behind what might have been a sales counter. This area of the building was the most damaged, but moderate to heavy smoke damage was throughout the building.
The ventilation process, he explained, was time-consuming, and the department returned to the scene later Wednesday afternoon to check on the building.
He said the fire was discovered when someone unlocked a door this morning and smoke poured out. No one was believed to be inside.
The structure is located at 126 N. Franklin St., a block north of Fourth Street in downtown Mansfield.
Strickling said it seemed like the building was being used for auto restoration. The call came in 7:38 a.m.
