If you were up early and anywhere near Tonawanda Island in North Tonawanda Monday morning, you witnessed quite a scene. A massive fire raced through Placid Harbor Marina.
Crews received the first call at 2:40 a.m. It took them about three hours to bring the blaze under control.
Heavy winds fueled the fire, and a tower of flames could be seen for miles. One firefighter was treated for a leg injury.
The blaze turned a large warehouse into a mass of charred rubble and twisted metal. Several boats were inside the facility. North Tonawanda Fire Chief John Lapham tells WBFO it will take time to assess damage.
"Investigators will be going through the building. I won't have a rough idea for a couple of days probably," says Lapham. "The building is a total loss. There were boats stored all around the building, so we'll have to go through all that."
In addition to the strong winds, crews also had to cope with loss of water pressure from a pump station that had power problems when utility lines were damaged.