Lee Highway commercial fire
photo by Battalion 1 Chief Chris Willmore.
A traffic accident caused a second alarm commercial fire Thursday morning in the 5800 block of Lee Highway.
It happened at 2:47 a.m. when a garbage truck and car collided. They hit a light pole and it caused both vehicles to burst into flames.
It sparked a chain reaction and vehicles on the lot of a nearby auto repair business caught fire and then the flames spread to the business itself.
A second alarm was called to bring additional companies to the scene.
Crews were advised to get out from under live wires and moved to defensive and aerial operations.
Mutual aid provided coverage at some of CFD’s fire halls while firefighters were on the scene on Lee Highway.
Everyone worked to tackle the business fire and several vehicle fires. At 4:15 a.m., the fire was marked under control.
Two patients from the initial traffic crash were transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.
While all of this was happening, a driver in the area ran over one of the fire hoses supplying water to the scene. This is dangerous when first responders are using a hose to put out a fire so CFD urges drivers to pay attention.
Ladder 13, Quint 8, Squad 1, Quint 21, Quint 6, Engine 15, Squad 7, Squad 7, Ladder 7, Engine 5, Ladder 5, Engine 9, Ladder 1, Quint 1, Ladder 19, Battalion 1, Battalion 2 (Blue Shift), CFD Investigations, CFD Supply, EPB, CPD and HCEMS responded.