At least 7 vehicles 'heavily damaged' in fire behind Wallace Volvo Cars in Stuart
STUART — A multi-car fire at the Wallace Volvo Cars dealership in Stuart May 15 resulted in damage to at least seven cars, according to fire rescue officials.
No one was injured.
The fire started behind the dealership, in the 2600 block of Southeast Federal Highway, in a lot where employees park and where new inventory arrives.
One of the cars belonged to Aaron Amador, a sales consultant at Wallace Volvo. He said his Toyota 4Runner was parked in the lot and a technician at the dealership had also parked in the lot.
Amador said the backseat of one of the cars was smoking and when the door of the car was opened, air rushed in and the fire spread to the car next to it.
"By the time they ran in to tell us that there was a fire, I grabbed my keys to move my car and it was already on fire," Amador said.
The fire was determined to be accidental, not a crime, according to Stuart Police spokesperson Lt. Brian Bossio.
The seven cars that burned in the fire had heavy fire damage and two vehicles nearby had minor damage, according to Stuart Fire Rescue Operations Chief Jonathan Huneycutt.
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Stuart Fire Rescue got the call about the fire at 5:15 p.m. and the first unit was at the fire at 5:20 p.m. Stuart Police also responded.
Huneycutt said when fire rescue crews arrived, they surrounded the blaze and worked to protect other nearby vehicles from the flames. He said crews had the fire under control in 20 minutes.
The State Fire Marshal has been notified to investigate, Huneycutt said.
Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fire erupts outside Wallace Volvo Cars in Stuart; 9 vehicles damaged
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