A 911 call was received from Bayou Rentals, 206 Lipari St. at 9:10 a.m. reporting that the business was on fire.
Owned by Cindy and Robert Reasoner, the business sold residential and industrial lawn equipment as well as making repairs to that equipment.
The first firetrucks were on scene at 9:13 a.m., with the fire being under control at 10 a.m. In total, two pumper trucks, one service truck and 26 personnel were at the scene, with the last truck arriving back at the station around noon, PVFD Chief Sherel Martin said.
The blaze started when welding work in the mechanic area of the building caused sparks to spray. Those sparks hit insulation, creating a fire that spread throughout the building. During the firefight, an explosion took out a portion of a wall but caused no injuries, as firemen were not in that particular area at the time, Martin said.
Because the company had oil products in plastic containers, a release of oil into nearby drainage ditches was reported to the state Department of Environmental Quality. The owner and firemen worked quickly to dyke the ditches and kept the contaminated water from draining into the Bayou Teche, Martin said.
A contractor had the scene cleaned up by midnight, he added.
No injuries were reported, but the business is a total loss, the chief said.
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