‘There were a lot of combustibles’: Early fire detection saves moving company warehouse in east London

London fire responded to a fire on Oxford Street East around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 26, 2025 in London, Ont. (Source: London Fire Department/X)

A nearby resident alerting the London Fire Department (LFD) of a blaze likely saved an entire business Sunday morning.

Around 1:30 a.m., fire crews responded to Medland Movers on Oxford St. East to heavy fire in the back of the warehouse.

“Our crews arrived and had to make forcible entry through the gate at the front, and then we’re able to get around the back and really quickly extinguish the fire,” said Platoon Chief Colin Shewell of the LFD.

“It was near the rear door inside, and the warehouse was filled with boxes of storage furniture. It could have been a lot worse, but we were able to put out quite quickly within 45 minutes of us getting the call. Crews did a fantastic job to contain it.”

There is extensive smoke damage throughout the warehouse, and no one was injured.

The main damage was to the rear door.

Shewell said someone noticing the fire from a distance was key.

“We would have been dealing with a full-on warehouse fire as there were a lot of combustibles that were in that storage area,” said Shewell.

“It was wooden boxes filled with furniture. These boxes would have been like six feet long and four feet wide with furniture in them. That phone call probably saved a lot of property damage.”

He added the crews used a 24-foot ladder to get on top of the boxes and spray them down.

Aerial operations made sure it didn’t spread into the roof and ceiling area.

The investigation is complete, the cause is believed to be electrical in nature and damage is pegged at $250,000.