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Fire hits auto shop junkyard
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Posted on Apr 17 2009
A fire of still unknown cause burned some cars in a junkyard of an auto shop in Chalan Laulau yesterday afternoon, causing minor explosions and sending a thick cloud of black smoke into the air.
No one was injured in the blaze that was reported to the Department of Public Safety at 1:52pm, according to DPS spokesperson Eric David.
David told Saipan Tribune that employees of Auto Motion first noticed smoke coming from the back of their shop, where junk cars were kept.
The employees then saw one of the cars burning. A chain reaction ensued, with the blaze engulfing the other vehicles in the junkyard in no time.
David said initial investigation showed that the fire started between the auto shop and a hollow block company.
Police officers helped some residents evacuate the area. Some people were seen pushing cars that were being repaired in the shop away from the site.
An auto shop employee said that yesterday’s high temperature possibly triggered a grass fire in the area.
A resident said they first heard explosions, followed by thick black smoke billowing from behind the shop.
Firefighters later arrived as the black smoke blanketed a portion of Beach Road, slowing down traffic along a stretch of the highway.
It was not clear yet how many cars were burned.
A few months ago, a fire that started in an auto shop’s junkyard in Chalan Laulau also blanketed a portion of Beach Road and Middle Road with thick smoke.
