GUILDERLAND — No one was injured when a construction-equipment garage on West McKown Road caught fire early on Columbus Day morning, said North Bethlehem Fire Department Chief Chris Fuino.

He added that accessing the building from a single-lane driveway was the biggest challenge in dousing the fire, along with the early-morning darkness.

Gas cans and oil tanks inside the garage caused “multiple explosions” as firefighters worked to put out the fire, Fuino said, adding, “That’s typical for a garage fire.”

The call came in at about 6 a.m., said Fuino. He thinks it was a neighbor who called. The call reported a bonfire next to a garage, but when firefighters arrived, the structure was “heavily involved,” he said.

The garage was made of concrete blocks and had a wooden roof. The two-bay garage held construction equipment and vehicles.

Firefighters fought the fire with multiple hand lines, but the building was a “total loss,” according to Fuino. He said he did not know what the contents of the garage were.

“We’re going to have to excavate it,” he said.

The wooded area, at the bottom of a hilly drive, with a couple of older apartment buildings, is “known for” fires, Fuino said.

“This building burned in 2008,” he said, gesturing to a brick apartment building nearby. He said there was also a car fire in the area a few years ago.

“All unrelated, but we’re pretty familiar with the area,” Fuino said.

McKownville, Guilderland, Westmere, and Slingerlands fire departments assisted, he said.

Schoolhouse Road was closed between Redeemer Church and Woodlake Road from about 6 to 8 a.m. while the fire was being fought.

The fire was initially called in to first responders as occurring at 195 West McKown Road, Fuino had said. The correct address was actually 120 West McKown Road, according to Jacqueline Coons, the town’s chief building and zoning inspector.

The property is listed on Albany County assessment rolls as belonging to Frank Multari and having a full-market value of $409,884. The property includes a six-unit apartment building, a house, and the burned garage, Coons said.