A fire broke out a small, family-owned auto shop in the Miramar area Saturday morning, sending crews rushing to the scene.
According to Lee Swanson of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, the blaze began just before 7:30 a.m. in a storage space above an office area on the second floor of the Save Auto shop located in the 9200-block of Kearny Mesa Road.
The location of the fire made it difficult for crews to gain access, Swanson said, and the flames grew quickly. The only way to get into the space was by ladder in the rear of the building.
Within about 30 minutes, however, firefighters had knocked down the blaze.
Swanson said there was no one at the business at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. The fire did not cause damage to any of the vehicles at the shop and surrounding buildings were also spared.
Save Auto owner Bao Tang spoke with NBC 7 and said it was terrible to wake up Saturday to the news of his business burning. The auto shop has been owned by his family for six years.
“It’s upsetting to come to your business and see it up in flames. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Just two days ago I was talking about remodeling, but now I can’t,” said Tang, adding that he planned to call his insurance company for help.
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Swanson said the cause of the fire remains under investigation but officials believe it was caused by unspecified electrical failure in the upper storage area.
The fire caused approximately $100,000 in damage to the building and $200,000 in damage to its contents.
