SPOKANE, Wash. — An auto shop fire spread through a shared attic space Tuesday morning, damaging multiple businesses in a North Spokane building and displacing half of the tenants indefinitely, according to Spokane Fire Department officials.
Welding sparks ignited a car inside the auto shop near 1800 Holyoke Avenue, fire officials said. The flames quickly spread through the building’s shared attic space, causing smoke and water damage to neighboring businesses.
Spokane Fire Department crews arrived within five minutes and found heavy fire and smoke consuming the auto shop, officials said. The car and the shop’s interior were completely destroyed.
“The call came in, they said it was a car on fire in one of the bays and by the time we got to responding, they said it was in the building already. We got here about five minutes afterwards and there was heavy fire and smoke,” said Justin De Ruyter of Spokane Fire.
Four of the eight businesses sustained significant smoke and water damage and will be displaced indefinitely, according to fire officials. The remaining four businesses suffered only light smoke damage.
Fire investigators determined the incident was accidental, officials said. The quick response prevented the fire from spreading throughout the entire building.
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