Category Archives: Auto Dealership

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system helps douse office fire at auto shop; No injuries reported

No one was injured early Thursday morning after the front office of a central valley auto shop caught fire.

Firefighters responded just before 4 a.m. to reports of a fire at 360 Auto Care, 1723 N. Decatur Blvd., near Vegas Drive, according to Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

The shop’s sprinkler system activated and helped douse the flames and crews took care of the rest with a fire hose, Szymanski said. The fire was contained to the front office.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Gainesville, GA – Sprinkler system keeps vehicle fire contained at Hardy Chevrolet

A vehicle caught fire inside of Hardy Chevrolet before 2 a.m. Thursday, according to the Gainesville Fire Department.

Fire crews found a vehicle ablaze inside the Browns Bridge Road auto dealer after responding to a call of possible fire. The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading, allowing firefighters to douse the flames soon after they arrived.

The Gainesville Fire Marshal is investigating the cause, according to Division Chief Keith Smith.

This report will be updated.

Bismarck, ND – Fire at auto body shop extinguished by sprinkler system; Business resumes operations quickly

A fire, caused by welding sparks which ignited the filters of a spray booth ventilation system at an auto body shop, was largely contained by the business’ sprinklers on Tuesday. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched at about 4:23 p.m. to the 1800 block of Commerce Drive, where heavy smoke was showing from the shop area of the single-story building.

Fire had spread to the roof top HVAC system, but flames inside the shop had been extinguished by the activation of two heads on the fire sprinkler system, according to Owen Fitzsimmons, a fire marshal with the Bismarck Fire Department, who deemed the incident was accidental. Fire crews removed a roof top ventilation fan and a portion of the roof to access and extinguish the blaze. Afterward, a thermal imaging camera was used to scan for any fire spread, and firefighters left the scene at about 7:24 p.m.

Bismarck Police Department assisted with scene control. Metro Area Ambulance was on scene to provide assistance. There were no injuries to building occupants or firefighters. The sprinkler system has been reactivated, the business remains in operation.

Albemarle, NC – Sprinkler system contains fire at auto repair business

A car repair business inside the Yett Millwork Corporation building at 503 Old Charlotte Road has been displaced due to a Tuesday morning fire. Albemarle Fire Department units were dispatched at 7:29 a.m. and the first unit arrived six minutes later. Engine 121 reported smoke showing from the building, with a fire being discovered inside. “Luckily the sprinkler system worked OK and contained the fire to where it started,” Fire Chief Shawn Oke said. Two individuals escaped the building on their own and two others were located and removed during a search of the building, Oke said. Damage to the building is estimated at $20,000, with damage to contents at $5,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Twelve on-duty and 14 off-duty personnel responded and had the scene cleared shortly after 11 a.m. Also assisting were Albemarle Police Department, Stanly County EMS and City of Albemarle Public Utilities.

Fairfield, NJ – Sprinkler system assists in firefighters in suppressing overnight fire at Mercedes-Benz dealership

An electrical fire at the Mercedes-Benz of Caldwell at 1230 Bloomfield Avenue in Fairfield last week was suppressed with the help of an automatic fire sprinkler system.  According to the Fairfield Police Department, officers received a call from cleaning workers about a fire in the shop area of the business around 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 9. The workers were in a different part of the building when they saw smoke and flames in the shop area, police said. A Fairfield police officer responding to the scene was able to determine that the building was evacuated, but had to retreat due to a “very heavy” smoke condition.

The Fairfield Fire Department arrived soon afterward and extinguished the conflagration. Authorities provided the following statement about the possible cause of the fire:

“Preliminary investigation indicates that a 2015 C300 Mercedes Benz was up on a lift and was apparently attached to a computer diagnostic machine. It appears that an electrical fire started and traveled up the lift and eventually caught the car on fire. The sprinkler system activated and helped to assist in keeping the fire suppressed.

Police said that while the direct fire damage appears to have been confined to the Mercedes, the business itself received a substantial amount of smoke and water damage. Additionally, other vehicles that were located on lifts in the shop may have also experienced both water and smoke damage. The financial toll of the damage was not immediately available, police stated.

Montreal, QC, Canada – Arson fire at car dealership put out by sprinkler system

A car dealership on Cote-de-Liesse was damaged by an incendiary device thrown through a window on Sunday morning.

At 2:00 a.m., a 911 call was made reporting the fire. When firefighters arrived, they found the fire extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Surveillance footage showed a man throwing an object at the window to break it and then throwing the incendiary device once they were inside.

The SPVM arson squad is investigating. No arrests have yet been made. 

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinklers limit damage in fire at auto repair shop; No injuries reported

Las Vegas firefighters battled an auto repair shop fire last Thursday night. Fire officials responded to the Decatur Automotive Center in the 1700 block of N. Decatur Boulevard at 8:31 p.m. after dispatchers received numerous calls that there was an explosion in one of the auto repair shops and smoke was coming from the garage doors.  Officials say the Decatur Automotive Center is a strip mall made up a several automotive repair centers and parts shops.

When fire crews arrived on the scene, they say heavy smoke coming out three bay doors of one of the auto repair shops. Firefighters were able to cut the steel doors and found the business full of smoke. Once the smoke was taken out, two autos were found damaged by the fire. Crews put out hot spots in the two autos, the bulk of the fire was held in check by automatic fire sprinklers.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.  There were six vehicles in the shop during the fire and two autos were damaged.  The business itself was not damaged by the fire. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

There were no injuries during the incident. Fire officials say business was closed at the time. When the fire started, the fire sprinklers activated and held the fire from spreading until firefighters arrived and made sure it was out. If there were no sprinklers, fire investigators say it’s possible the fire would have spread to the other autos and significant damage would have occurred to the business.  It is estimated that several thousands of dollars of property was saved by the sprinklers and downed production time will be minimal to the business.

Epping, NH – Sprinkler system helps firefighters tackle blaze at auto dealership

Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire in the service department area of Hurlbert Toyota that forced more than 40 workers to evacuate the building Monday afternoon.

Fire crews from several towns responded to the car dealership at 58 Calef Highway (Route 125) after the fire broke out just before 4 p.m.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, but it may have been started by an overheated motor in an air compressor, according to Jeff Hurlbert, the company’s vice president.

Epping Fire Chief Don DeAngelis said he saw fire inside the compressor room when he arrived.

The sprinkler system activated and helped contain the fire, he said.

“There was a lot of grease that was stored there and that caught fire and started rolling out on us,” DeAngelis said.

One employee was treated after he appeared to suffer some burns when he attempted to extinguish the fire, DeAngelis said.

The fire quickly went to two alarms to bring more apparatus to the scene.

DeAngelis said Epping fire crews ran out of water shortly after arriving, but water continued to flow as soon as Brentwood firefighters hooked up to a nearby hydrant.

Employees began evacuating the building moments after the fire broke out and the alarms and sprinklers activated. Some waited outside in the cold while others walked over to the McDonald’s restaurant next door to stay warm.

“When the alarm went off I immediately evacuated the upstairs and came down and started evacuating the main floor and saw the smoke,” said company president Roy Hurlbert.

He said more than 40 employees were working at the time and made it out safely.

The extent of the fire, smoke and water damage wasn’t immediately known.

Riverside, CA – Fire at vintage car restoration business limited by sprinkler system; Welding sited as cause

Welding equipment set fire to a vintage car at a Riverside auto repair shop causing $150,000 damage, city fire officials say, though a sprinkler contained the flames until firefighters arrived. The blaze was reported at 6:05 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, inside a 1952 Chevy that was being restored at DMCG Inc., 1860 Chicago Ave., in Freeway Industrial Park. “A guy was welding and ignited the upholstery of the rear seat,” said Acting Capt. Brandon Mollicone. Smoke and water damage also affected several adjoining businesses, Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said in a written statement. Fire crews finished extinguishing the flames, then used exhaust fans to clear smoke out of the building, and squeegees to remove the water. No one was hurt.

Arlington Heights, IL – Early morning blaze at car dealership quickly put out by sprinkler system

An early morning blaze Friday at an Arlington Heights car dealership was quickly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, officials with the Arlington Heights Fire Department said.

The Arlington Heights Fire Department responded to a call from a passerby who reported seeing a fire just after midnight at the Arlington Nissan dealership at 1100 W. Dundee Road, Battalion Chief Tom Zerfass said.

The fire is thought to have been started by a car that was brought in for service, and was parked in one of the warehouse bays, Zerfass said.  The building was empty at the time, Zerfass said, and there were no injuries reported.