The West Hartford Fire Department responded to a fire that destroyed a building on the Hartford-West Hartford town line Thursday.

Firefighters from West Hartford and Hartford extinguished a fire at 203 Newfield Ave. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

Firefighters from both West Hartford and Hartford responded to a blaze that fully engulfed an industrial building at 203 Newfield Ave. Thursday afternoon, right on the town line.

Seventeen of the 21 West Hartford firefighters on duty – Quint 3, Engine 1, Engine 5, Engine 2, and Battalion Chief 4 – responded to the blaze, which was reported at 2:42 p.m.

There was some uncertainty at first about whether the structure was in West Hartford or Hartford, but officials said it’s common practice for both departments to respond to incidents on the town line. It was ultimately determined that the building was in Hartford, and once the blaze was brought under control the Hartford Fire Department remained on the scene to ensure there were no hotspots and secure the site.

Hartford Deputy Chief James York said that when units arrived the building, which contains a three-bay garage, was fully involved. It was brought under control in about 20 minutes, he said.

York said that landscape company and auto repair shop were the tenants, but did not know the name of the businesses. An online search indicated that Donato & Sons Landscape Contractor is located at 203 Newfield Ave.

“It’s a total loss. Everything inside and the building itself was structurally damaged by the fire,” York said.

Occupants of the building escaped without injury, and no firefighters were injured either. None of the nearby structures sustained damage, York said.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also responded due to runoff of some oil from the garage. They were able to clean up the materials and there was no threat to the environment, said York.

The cause of the fire had not been determined yet, and it remains under investigation, York said.

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203 Newfield Ave. Photo credit: Ronni Newton