LOS ANGELES, CA – A large fire tore through the repair facility at a Ford dealership in Santa Clarita early Thursday, burning up to 20 vehicles before firefighters stopped the blaze from spreading to nearby businesses, authorities said.
The fire was reported around 4:20 a.m. at the AutoNation Ford dealership on Creekside Road, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
When firefighters arrived, they found a roughly 30-by-200-foot repair building fully engulfed in flames, with 15 to 20 vehicles burning inside and around the structure.
Because the fire had already burned through the roof, crews immediately launched a defensive attack from outside the building rather than sending firefighters inside.
“It was fully involved where we couldn’t make access to the building,” Los Angeles County Fire Battalion Chief Josh Tibbett said. “There were no firefighter injuries or civilian injuries.”
Fire crews briefly called for a second alarm and staged additional resources nearby in case the flames spread to neighboring properties.
The repair facility sits close to another auto dealership, but firefighters were able to keep the blaze from extending beyond the AutoNation property.
“We had no extension into that building,” Tibbett said. “We sent units over there and had them checking immediately.”
Authorities said the fire was ultimately confined to the dealership’s L-shaped repair facility, which is separate from the main showroom but part of the same property.
Information reviewed by Street People indicates investigators believe the fire may have started around 3 a.m., more than an hour before it was reported to emergency crews.
The cause remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Tibbett said many of the burned vehicles appeared to be older models that had been awaiting repairs, though authorities could not immediately confirm whether the vehicles belonged to customers or to the dealership.
A witness who was in the area before firefighters arrived said he initially thought part of the building had exploded after seeing the intensity of the flames.
“I was like, ‘Did that building just blow up?’” witness Chyna McCoy said. “Then it went boom again.”
McCoy said the heat from the fire could be felt from outside the dealership and that the scene appeared even more intense in person.
No injuries were reported.
The investigation remains ongoing.
