NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Thirty-seven units at a storage facility in West Nashville were damaged in a fire that killed a man over the weekend.
Witness reported seeing smoke from the CubeSmart Self Storage on Robertson Avenue around 10:40 p.m. Saturday.
The fire department said crews had trouble accessing units in the facility due to large padlocks, but they were able to cut holes in the doors and the roof to help with ventilation and extinguishing the flames.
Once firefighters got the fire under control, crews went inside the facility to check for any remaining flames. When inside, the fire department said the body of a man was found in the unit where the fire started. Metro police identified the man as 40-year-old Sean Schield, of Bellevue, and said his death is believed to be related to meth production.
While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined by fire investigators, the fire department said evidence found in the unit where it started "points definitively to materials used for meth production."
The fire department said an ammonia-like odor could be smelled in the area on Saturday night. Crews used a photoionization detector which reported life-threatening levels of iodine in the air. Because of this, fire department personnel left the building.
Hazmat crews returned on Sunday to monitor the air quality and all levels were then in a normal range.
There are 114 units in the storage facility in total and nearly all have some smoke and/or water damage as a result of the fire. The Nashville Fire Department said seven units were damaged by fire and 30 others were damaged by radiant heat.
The fire remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal.
