Fire damages vehicles at auto repair shop...

Fire damages vehicles at auto repair shop

An outdoor fire at a Costa Mesa auto repair shop damaged three

vehicles Wednesday morning. Costa Mesa firefighters responded to a

call at 10:43 a.m. about a fire at Hi-Tech German Service, a Logan

Avenue shop that specializes in repairing Mercedes cars.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it may have started

because gas somehow leaked from one of the cars and ignited, auto

shop owner Kevin Priest said.

One of his employees spotted the blaze, which charred the rear

halves of two cars and slightly burned a truck.

Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters’ main job was to keep

any gasoline from leaking into storm drains, acting Battalion Chief

Fred Seguin said.

Costa Mesa police and firefighters blocked off Logan Street while

they spread sand to soak up the gas, which a hazardous materials

disposal company later cleaned up.