Lincoln Fire and rescue crews battled a two-alarm fire at EZ Automotive near 36th and Adams just before 8:00 Thursday morning. Heavy black smoke could be seen from miles away and when firefighters arrived the building was engulfed in flames and parts of it began to collapse.
Fire Chief Engler says crews immediately made a defensive attack, keeping firefighters outside of the building to battle the flames on the ground and from their aerial truck. He says they were able to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings.
Tom Stanton, KLIN News
“Based on the amount of fire before we arrived, it had been probably been burning for a little bit of time before that,” Engler says. Due to the location of the fire Engler says they had to shut down the railroad tracks between 30th and 40th Streets so they could get to the fire. The tracks have since reopened.
LFR Public Information Officer MJ Lierman says damage to the building is estimated at $500,000 and one car inside the business was also destroyed. Lierman says damage totals will likely increase because several vehicles parked just outside the building sustained heat damage.