May 21--An Aberdeen service station and garage that had been filling fuel tanks for more than four decades was destroyed by fire Monday.
Three employees working at Eddie's Northside Sinclair tried to put the flames out with fire extinguishers, but the blaze spread too quickly, said Matthew Tutor, a mechanic who was working when the fire started about 10:30 a.m. He said all three workers escaped quickly.
No one was injured.
By day's end, the garage was gone, either destroyed by flames or firefighters who knocked down walls to put out the fire. The portion of the business connected to the garage's north side remained, but was badly damaged and had been boarded up as of 7:30 p.m.
The well-known station had, through the years, added towing and vehicle repair services. Eddie's, 208 N. Second St., was opened in 1969 by Eddie Weber. It's now owned by his son, Randy Weber, of Aberdeen.
Kevin VanMeter, Aberdeen fire chief, said he remembered Eddie's from his childhood. Everyone knew where the station was without needing an address, he said.
Chris Lund, a mechanic at Eddie's, said Monday evening that Randy Weber's initial thoughts were to rebuild the station.
Tutor said he was installing a new fuel pump in a truck when the fire started. He said that as he was working, an air jack lost pressure and the truck's fuel tank fell. As it did, it hit a shop light and ignited the fire, he said.
The truck's two fuel tanks and oil barrels in the garage exploded after the fire started, Tutor said.
He said the fire did not spread to fuel pumps in front of Eddie's.
VanMeter said the fire gained intensity quickly because there was so much combustible material -- tires, fuel, oil and chemicals -- in the garage. And, VanMeter said, the fuel in the truck acted as an accelerant.
By the time firefighters arrived, many of the tires in the garage were burning, he said.
Eventually, the roof of the garage caved in, making it difficult for firefighters to put out the flames, VanMeter said. They used a backhoe to knock down the east, west and south walls of the garage to get the flames out, he said.
He said no firefighters were injured while battling the blaze.
Firefighters were on the scene until 5:30 p.m. or so, said Randy Meister, battalion commander. Flames within the business burned well into the afternoon, he said.
While there was initial concern that the fire would spread to the pumps, it waned as the bulk of the flames were knocked down quickly, Meister said.
He said firefighters used foam that helped extinguish the fire, combatting the combustible materials.
NorthWestern Energy was called to the scene twice, first to shut off the power and gas and the second time to disconnect a gas line meter in the alley east of Eddie's, Meister said. He said that had to be done because the back wall of the building was going to fall over.
About 6 p.m., firefighters turned the scene over to Weber and his employees, Meister said.
The fire gave off so much smoke that North Second Street, including the overpass, had to be closed for about four hours. At times, the building couldn't be seen because of smoke that rolled out of Eddie's. The overpass and street were opened about 2:30 p.m. With the overpass closed during the lunch hour, some motorists encountered heavy traffic as they sought other routes.
Sometimes, motorists would slow down to look at the site or take pictures, Meister said. That was dangerous for drivers, he said, but not fire officials on the scene.
Editor's note: The coverage below this point took place throughout the day Monday.
2:04 P.M. UPDATE:
Kevin VanMeter, Aberdeen fire chief, said the Eddie's building is destroyed. The fire is still burning within the building's garage, he said. The roof collapsed, making it tough for firefighters to get to the flames within, he said.
He said firefighters are going to knock down the east and south walls of the garage to get to the flames.
There was so much flammable material in the garage, including fuel in the fuel tank that hit the light, that the fire spread very quickly, VanMeter said. Many of the items in the garage had caught fire before the fire department arrived, he said.
Police and fire crews are now working to open Second Street and the overpass to traffic, VanMeter said.
12:52 P.M. UPDATE:
Firefighters are still battling the blaze at Eddie's that started this morning. More fire has been reported in the roof area, according to the scanner.
11:41 A.M. UPDATE:
Nobody was injured, but an Aberdeen service station and garage destroyed as the result of a fire this morning at Eddie's Sinclair.
The fire started when Matthew Tutor, a mechanic at Eddie's, was changing a truck's fuel pump, Tutor said.
Tutor said as he was working, the air jack lost pressure and, as the truck's fuel tank hit a shop light as it fell. That sparked the fire, he said.
He said the three workers at the station grabbed fire extinguishers and tried to douse the flames, but that it spread too quickly.
Tutor said all three workers got out of the business safely.
Across the street to the north of Eddie's, Tutor and others stood in increasingly heavy rain and watched Aberdeen firefighters put out the flames. The fire was reported about 10:30. Crews remained on the scene as of 11:30. According to scanner reports, there were still flames within the building at that time.
Tutor said there were explosions in the building after the fire started. He said the truck's two fuel tanks, some oil barrels and some tires exploded.
The fire did not spread to fuel pumps in front of Eddie's, Tutor said.
It appeared the interior of the building sustained significant damage. The exterior of doors were singed with black as heavy smoke rolled out of the shop.
The fire's location caused the overpass and a portion of North Second Street to be closed.
Stay with aberdeennews.com for updates.
11:16 UPDATE:
Scott Waltman reports that it appears everybody got out of the building and is safe.
11:06 UPDATE:
Worst damage seems to be in the south side of Eddie's Northside building, said Will Elkins, American News videographer.
10:56 UPDATE:
A reader's tweet: @BHeimTime3m on Twitter: "I live at North Main St. The 2nd St. traffic seems to have been redirected here. Very heavy."
10:52 UPDATE:
The bulk of the fire has been knocked down, according to scanner reports. But firefighters remain, and power has been shut down to the building.
10:44 UPDATE:
Both sides of the overpass have now been barricaded because of the fire at Eddie's Northside gas station on North Second Street.
A fire at Eddie's Northside has been reported.
Copyright 2013 - American News, Aberdeen, S.D.
