Frigid temperatures and snowy conditions made it tough for firefighters who tackled a huge blaze that destroyed a Discount Tire store in Lakewood Wednesday night.
The fire broke out inside the store, located at Kipling and Jewell, at about 7:40 p.m., about an hour after the business had closed. The fire burned hot and fast, fueled by more than 4,700 tires inside the building.
Witnesses said the fire could be seen and smelled from blocks away. At least 35 firefighters were called to battle the blaze in 20-degree temperatures.
"At first, it was pretty small flames and then the whole building just pretty much went up. We were watching probably 60- to 70-foot flames. And then all the fire trucks came here and then they blocked the streets off," said witness Megan Achterhoff.
When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting through the roof. The roof of the building soon collapsed, and firefighters used that opening to shoot water into the burning building.
Firefighters also torched the store's steel garage doors to create a hole so they could shoot streams of water inside.
Fortunately, no one was inside the building and no injuries have been reported.
Five dogs were removed from the nearby Kipling Veterinary Hospital during the height of the fire.
The cause of the fire remains not known. Investigators had planned to go inside the building on Thursday morning but the building was structurally unsafe. They will attempt to go inside the building on Friday.
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