Fire damages Salt Lake automotive shop

Salt Lake firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze at an automotive shop at 4190 W. 2100 South on Wednesday. No one was injured.

Bob Keene, owner of an adjacent business, got a call from his daughter. Sounding hysterical, she said she could see the smoke and flames, Keene said. She then called 911. She and drivers speeding along state Route 201 were the first to see the blaze and call it in on their cell phones, said Salt Lake Fire spokesman Mark Bednarik.

Six engines and a hazardous materials crew pulled up at Import Japanese Engines by 2:30 p.m. The rear end of the building, an automotive shop, was completely engulfed in flames. It had accidentally started in the welding area of the building.

"Some common things you find in a place like this are solvents, oils, fuels, different things that can really fuel a fire," Bednarik said. The flammables created a challenge for firefighters, he said.

A firebreak wall separated the burning rear from the rest of the building, which helped prevent the fire from spreading. Firefighters also cut out a trench of the roof to separate it from the rest of the structure, since trapped, hot smoke is the primary way a fire can spread in a short time, Bednarik said.

The fire was doused and cleared by 3:20 p.m.

All of the shop's employees were out to lunch when the fire started. When Carmen Marquez left with the others, she said everything was fine. When they returned, "it was all on fire," she said.

They expected to return to work today, since the front end of the three-section building is owned by the same business. The middle section is owned by a separate business. It only sustained smoke damage.

Investigators believe the fire was accidental and that it started in a welding area of the maintenance shop, according to Bednarik. It is estimated that the fire caused $500,000 in damage.

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