An auto shop in our city's west end has been reduced to ash and rubble as a fire ripped through the building late Saturday night.
Fire crews were called to the shop located at 207th St. and 107th Ave. around 11 p.m. More than 60 firefighters were on scene battling the two-alarm fire. Crews had to be careful as the building was full of hazardous materials.
"It's a hot fire," said Deputy Chief John Lamb. "There's a lot of acetylene and gasoline and solvents on scene so we've had a few explosions, [but] nothing major."
Another challenge facing crews was the lack of fire hydrants in the area. Water had to be trucked in to fight the massive blaze.
"When we have a hydrant, we have an unlimited supply of water," says Lamb. "But in this case we don't so we have to be very careful how we use it."
Firefighters were battling the blaze from the outside as the building was deemed to be too unstable. One wall collapsed on the west side of the building, where Lamb says most of the hazardous materials were stored.
No injuries were reported. It's not known if anyone was in the building at the time. A fire estimate wasn't available at the time.
