Shortly after 10 AM, residents within a large radius in Fort Wayne noticed a large plume of black smoke just south of Coliseum Boulevard.
Onlookers would soon find the roof of the LCS Auto Parts Shop garage on Goshen Road engulfed in flames.
The fire raged for a while; canisters could be heard popping from across the street for at least another half hour, which helped stoke the flames.
Deputy fire chief Adam O’Connor says it’s a good thing his team was able to get to the location quickly, otherwise the fire could have spread to neighboring buildings.
“We didn’t commit any firefighters into the structure because of how rapidly the fire was advancing, and because of the large fuel content inside – gasoline tanks – and the occupants had already removed themselves from the building.”
O’Connor says the building is a “total loss,” but no injuries were reported.
By 11 a.m., the blaze was deemed under control, but firefighters were still tasked with taking out small, isolated fires that were still popping up.
