A moving grass fire accelerates the burning of 34 vehicles at the Niagara Lavender Festival

A major bush fire ignited Sunday near the city of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, where dozens of vehicles were burned, causing over a million dollars of damage

. According to Niagara-on-the-Lake fire chief Rob Grimwood, the hayfield was used as parking for the Niagara Lavender Festival and quickly crossed 34 vehicles

. one of the fastest fires I have seen in my career, "he said, adding that he was on the scene within five minutes and that at that time at least five cars had already been consumed by the flames.

Grimwood stated that 19 vehicles were totally destroyed and another 15 were burned.It estimated the total damage based on the make and model of the vehicles. between $ 1.2 million and $ 1.5 million

Officials do not know not what triggered the fire, but given the dryness of the terrain, Grimwood said it could be as simple as a junk cigarette or the exhaust of a car coming into contact with hay.

There were no civilian casualties, but some firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics at the scene

resumed as 20 vehicles at a time. -Denise van Es

Denise van Es said that she was at the festival and noticed a small cloud of smoke floating above the parking lot, but he did not stay small for a long time

A swirling cloud of thick, black smoke soon swept over the air, which many people on social media said was seen miles away.

"In a glance, we saw a car on fire." van Es. "From there, it degenerated, in two or three minutes … it swarmed and took over like 20 vehicles at a time."

Denise van Es took a video of the fire which has spread incredibly quickly. (Denise van Es)

Watching the fire jump from one car to the other made her sick to her stomach, she added.

People were running everywhere as the fire increased, according to van Es. Her family was one of the first to get out of the parking lot, but she said that if they had not settled in their car, they would also have been burned in the next few minutes.

"

Fighting the fire was even harder, according to Grimwood, because the fire crews had access to only one low pressure bollard that was located there. another side of a road and about 600 meters

"Everything was a challenge, the water supply, the heat and Moisture – the firefighters were beaten because of this – the extent of the fire and "

The chief said that at least 40 firefighters responded to the fire. call and congratulated his team of volunteers for their work by keeping the torch under control.

"They did a phenomenal job," he said. "They saved over 50 other cars that could have been destroyed."