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4Refuel Kingston Team Helps Local Fire Department

A large blaze that broke out in a small town outside of Kingston, Ontario was brought under control thanks to the work of the local Fire Department, as well as some quick thinking and a speedy response from 4Refuel.

It was shortly after 10 p.m. on Thursday, January 7, 2021 when the Kingston Fire & Rescue was called to the small town of Verona, Ontario where a fire had broken out at a housing complex. The 28-unit building housed about 30 residents, most of which are seniors.

After over four hours of battling the blaze, the fire was still burning by 3 a.m., that’s when Kingston Fire & Rescue Chief Darcy Knott made an emergency call to 4Refuel’s Operations Supervisor Michael James.

Fire trucks had been running all night long and were still pumping water on the smoldering fire and they couldn’t leave to go refuel.

James immediately jumped out of bed and headed to the yard to pick up a fuel tanker truck. By 4 a.m. he was in Verona with the much-needed fuel for the fire department.

“When I got there the highway was closed, so the Fire Chief had to meet me so that he could escort me to the trucks so I could start refuelling them. All you could see were fire trucks lined up down the road,” James said.

By 8 a.m., and after 10 hours of tireless work, the fire crew—made up of 50 members from five fire stations including South Frontenac, Stone Mills Township and Kingston—put out the blaze.

Ryan Dawson, 4Refuel’s Sr. Vice President, Operations – Canada, says the team was pleased to be able to lend a hand to Kingston’s fire department.

“Our Operations model is one of responsiveness,” Dawson says.

“We pride ourselves on the “Fuel Anywhere / Anytime” philosophy that has enabled us to respond to unexpected needs, especially when it comes to our first responders.” All 30 residents who were inside at the time the fire started made it out safely.

(Left) A 4Refuel tanker helps refuel a Kingston Fire & Rescue Truck fighting a large structure fire in Verona, Ontario that burned  into the early morning hours on Friday, January 8. (Right) The aftermath of the devastating fire. Fortunately, all 30 residents inside the building at the time of the fire escaped.

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