Delaware Salvage Lot Fire Destroys Almost 1,000 Cars
NEWPORT, Del. -- A massive fire at a Delaware salvage yard in Newport, Del., destroyed nearly 1,000 cars and damaged another 500 to 1,000 vehicles on Tuesday.
The blaze started about 5 p.m. at Horisk Salvage Pool Systems on Airport Road, near Interstate 95. For hours, plumes of thick black smoke filled the air and temporarily closed some roads nearby.
Eight fire companies rushed to the scene of the one-alarm fire that eventually changed into a two-alarm fire. New Castle County dispatcher Jim Rosseel said about 20 firefighting units were eventually dispatched to the scene.
Rosseel said the fire trucks had trouble making their way through the rows of cars to gain access to the flames, so tanker trucks from as far away as Chester County, Pa., were sent to help prevent the fire from spreading to another salvage business next door. The tankers were set up to shuttle water from the nearby Christina River.
As firefighters worked, some gas tanks exploded and car debris hit one person, causing minor injuries.
The Delaware State Fire Marshal's office is investigating the origin of the fire.
Horisk Salvage Pool Systems auctions off cars that they get from insurance companies, so most of the cars were still in working order.
Related: