Fuel Leaking From Vehicle Caused Auto Shop Fire

Fire investigators say they’ve found the cause of the fire that gutted an automotive-repair shop on Fairbanks’s south side Thursday afternoon. Fairbanks Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Misewicz says gasoline leaking from a vehicle under repair in the shop at Jim’s Auto Parts and Glass sparked and started the fire that burned for hours and kicked up a cloud of black smoke visible for miles around.“There was a fuel leak on a vehicle in the shop that was being repaired, and the fuel ignited,” he said. “We’re not sure exactly what caused the fuel to ignite, but once it did, it spread rapidly through the building.