Hangar, two planes burn in Sunday fire

A hangar at the Weiser municipal airport with two airplanes and other items inside burned to the ground on Sunday afternoon.
 Both Weiser Area Rural Fire Department and Weiser City Fire and Rescue responded to the fire when the call came in at 3:53 p.m. The airport is owned by the city but located in the county south of Weiser.
 The hangar was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The hangar was a wood-framed building with sheet metal walls and roof. It eventually collapsed from the heat of the fire.
 In addition to the two planes, a vintage Cessna and a bi-plane, the hangar contained a boat, camp trailer and numerous other items. rural fire chief Tim Atwood said.
 Bob Patrick, the owner of the airplanes, was working in the hangar when the fire started. He didn’t have his cellphone on him and had to run to a neighboring house and tell the homeowner to call 911.
 Patrick said he suffered some burns on his hands from trying to put out the fire. The injuries did not require hospitalization.
 He said on Monday that he suspected a fuel leak might have caused the fire but was not sure what ignited the fuel.
 There was some fuel sources and pressurized welding tanks in the hangar that posed additional hazards for firemen. The tankshave safety systems in the event of fire and they worked, the chief said.
 Much of the fiberglass wings and other components of the airplanes are flammable.
 There was not much left to salvage when the fire was put out, Atwood said.
 The fire also did some cosmetic damage to the exterior of an adjacent hangar, he said.
 Both city and rural fire departments rolled a massive response to the fire. Weiser rural brought three engines, two water tenders and two command vehicles.
 Weiser city had two engines and a ladder truck. The Payette fire department brought a water tender.
 Fire crews stayed on the scene until after 9 p.m. Sunday night mopping up. The cause of the fire had not been conclusively determined as of Monday and was still under investigation, Atwood said.