Fire damages New Ulm Tire

Fire guts service bays and two parked vehicles

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- A late afternoon fire Tuesday at New Ulm Tire destroyed two of its service bays and the vehicles that were parked there.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 109 N. Broadway around 6 p.m. and found most of the building filled with thick smoke. They discovered a fire towards the back of the building in a set of repair bays located just off an alley behind the shop.

"We were getting ready to leave when we noticed this vacuum-sucking motion," said New Ulm Tire co-owner Jim Johnson. "At first, I thought it was a horizontal wind, but then I looked outside and the trees weren't blowing. We opened the shop door, saw smoke and called the fire department."

Seven vehicles were driven out of the building after the fire was discovered and parked in the lot on the south side of the building. Only two vehicles, a van and a car that were in the repair bays where the fire started, were destroyed. The fire charred much of the interior of the repair shop. Damage estimates were not available.

Fire Chief Curt Curry said the fire began in the repair bays by the alley, but he was unsure of the cause. He said a gas tank from the van, along with some tires and some paper products inside the repair bay may have played a role in starting the fire.

All five companies in the New Ulm Fire Department responded to the call. Firefighters punched two holes in the rear of the building's roof and broke two windows to ventilate the building. They spent roughly 20 minutes fighting the blaze. No injuries were reported.

New Ulm police blocked off two blocks in the southbound lane of Broadway while the firefighters were inside the building and re-routed traffic, Motorists on the opposite side of the street slowed down to get a look at the fire , which attracted several bystanders from downtown and the neighborhood.

Curry said the blaze is almost as serious as the fire that destroyed a house on North State Street late last week.

"If you had given this one 10 minutes, it could've been a whole different picture," he said.

Johnson said New Ulm Tire, which has eight full-time employees and one part-time employee, might be able to do some business this week, but that ability will depend upon an insurance estimate.