4 Autos Gutted by Flames in Body Shop
Sparks from welding equipment ignited a fire Sunday that gutted four vehicles in an auto-body shop but caused no injuries, authorities said.
Firefighters were alerted to the fire about 3:10 p.m. in the 900 block of Sunset Drive in Costa Mesa, only a few blocks away from a fire station.
“We saw smoke from the Civic Center go from white to black,” said Battalion Chief Judy Jewell. “When we got there, we saw flames seven to 10 feet high shooting through the roof.”
Paul Snow, 60, who lives next to the body shop, said he called the Fire Department after spotting the blaze.
Investigators believe the blaze was caused when flames or sparks from a welding torch came into contact with some paint thinner.
It took about 20 firefighters 25 minutes to control the blaze. A damage estimate was not immediately available.
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