Classic Cars Threatened in CA Mixed Occupancy Fire

Nov. 21—Fire destroyed a small apartment above a downtown auto shop Saturday night, but good construction and quick action by firefighters spared the downstairs space, which houses several vintage cars, according to the Modesto Fire Department.

Modesto and Stanislaus Consolidated units responded about 10:30 p.m. to a report of a commercial structure fire in the 600 block of 10th Street, according to a Facebook post by Modesto Fire.

Crews found heavy fire conditions at the auto shop, and multiple nearby buildings were threatened, so a second alarm was sounded.

Firefighters initially did not know there were living quarters atop the building, Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said Sunday morning. When they began their attack on flames coming from the southeast corner of the roof, they discovered the apartment.

The owner of the building stays in the apartment a few nights a week, Jesberg said, and was there Saturday night. There was a fire in the fireplace, and when the man was heading back upstairs after going outside to get more firewood, he saw the apartment was on fire, the battalion chief said.

"Crews did a great job confining the fire to the apartment," Jesberg said. Their efforts and the construction of the "well-built, older building," which largely kept heat and water runoff away from the downstairs space, really minimized damage, he said.

The ground-floor space houses some classic luxury cars, including a Mercedes-Benz, a Rolls-Royce and a Jaguar, which through the building's front window appeared to be undamaged Sunday morning.

Though apparently accidental and originating with the fireplace, the fire's cause and origin are under investigation by the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.

The website healthychildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, offers fireplace safety tips, including:

— The chimney should be checked annually by a professional.

— Even if the chimney is not due for cleaning, it is important to check for animal nests or other blockages that could prevent smoke from escaping.

— Make sure the area around the fireplace is clear of anything that is potentially flammable (ie: furniture, drapes, newspapers, books, etc.). If these items get too close to the fireplace, they could catch fire.

A January 2021 report, "Home Heating Fires," by the National Fire Protection Association says that in each year from 2014 through 2018, heating equipment fires resulted in about 500 civilian (not firefighter) deaths, 1,350 civilian injuries and and $1.1 billion in direct property damage each year in 2014 — 2018.

Fixed or portable space heaters were the leading cause by far, with fireplaces and chimneys the second leading cause, the NFPA reported.

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