There was high drama for my www.golfile.ie colleague, Eoin Clarke and myself ahead of departing Cleveland Airport and bound for this week’s PGA Championship.
No sooner had we awoke to get ready to leave our hotel and we could hear the sounds of helicopters hovering over our hotel around 6am.
On stepping out onto the balcony a huge ball of black smoke was coming from the direction of the airport.
First thoughts that a plane may have crashed but as it turned out a fire at the end of the road from our hotel at Valley Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star Trucks.
Fire engines were soon heard and seen racing to the fire that was now sending thick black smoke in the direction of nearby Cleveland Airport.
Eoin and I had to drive right past the burning premises on the way to the airport and as some of the pics below show, the building was well ablaze.
Then after taking off at 8am you could see fire officials had got the blaze under control.
A check of the web on arrival at Charleston, South Carolina reports a woman who works down the street from the business noticed the flames, and immediately called 911.
Seven fire departments responded to the blaze. Firefighters tried to get inside, but the fire was too intense, so they were forced to battle the blaze from outside the building.
“Typically any time you have a petroleum-based fire, when there are fuels involved, it will set off thick black smoke,” said Lt. Pat Johnson.
“It’s a trucking company there are tires and other things in there that set off the thick black smoke.”
Brook Park Fire Chief Mark Ramach says the initial investigation shows that the fire most likely started in a truck in one of the service bays. There were also some explosions because fuel drums are stored inside the building.
Chief Ramach also says the damage to the building is significant, and it looks like the entire building will mostly likely have to come down.
Here’s hoping the only fire this week is seeing some of the world’s best golfer burn-up the host Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
* Eye witness photos of the fire hereunder – click to enlarge.
