Vehicle fire causes smoke, heat damage to Tucker’s Auto Repair garage
A vehicle fire inside Tucker’s Auto Repair garage in Annapolis on Sunday was quickly controlled before it could damage other businesses, according to the Annapolis Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to 35 Lee St., at 9:21 a.m. Sunday for reports of a fire at the auto repair garage. There, fire crews saw smoke coming from an open garage bay door, the department said in a news release. Firefighters placed a hose line into the building, extinguishing the blaze before it could spread to other cars nearby.
Investigators with the department’s fire and explosives unit determined the fire, which originated inside the vehicle’s engine compartment, to be accidental.
The fire was contained to one vehicle inside the garage, which contained multiple vehicles, according to Capt. Aaron Edwards, a department spokesperson. Some smoke and heat damage was observed inside the garage. No injuries were reported.
The shop will likely be closed for a week and a half for cleanup efforts, according to Johnny Tucker, who owns the repair business. Some work will resume when the less damaged side is cleared, he said.
Now, soot covers most of the shop and office. Heat from the fire melted electrical wires and plastic in the portion of the shop that sustained the most severe damage.
The blaze was controlled within 30 minutes, the department said. Other firefighters helped to ventilate the structure and check neighboring businesses for fire or smoke damage.
About 50 firefighters from the Annapolis Fire Department, Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the Naval Support Activity Annapolis Fire Department responded.
The fire department has not yet offered a damage estimate, though Tucker said it appeared that two cars were totaled as a result of the fire. Others will need cosmetic work and all vehicles in the shop will need to be cleaned because of smoke damage, he said.
This isn’t the first time Tucker’s business has faced tough luck. In September 2021, the shop was closed for a month after it was damaged by a tornado that touched down on nearby West Street. To Tucker, dealing with the impact of a fire is “easier than the tornado.”
Though he wasn’t at the shop Sunday morning, Tucker is grateful for the passerby who called 911 to report the fire. The longtime business owner said he would love to meet whoever called for help so he can express his appreciation.
“I’d just like to say thank you to them,” he said.