*** Story updated 3:25 p.m., July 10***
Garnet Ford Service Manager Ira Burgis said this morning that he hopes the dealership will be back up to 100 percent operations by Monday. A fire Thursday night severely damaged the main shop and left most of the dealership running on half power.
Two other shops are operational, he said, but even the sales side of the business is temporarily down because of the lack of power.
Burgis thanked the fire companies that responded to the 8:50 p.m. call. “They did a great job,” he said.
He was especially appreciative of a member of Garnet Ford’s cleanup crew.
According to Burgis, a member of the crew smelled smoke, grabbed a fire extinguisher and then heard a pop. He then dropped the extinguisher and called 9-1-1.
That pop, Burgis said, was a window blowing out. “I’m glad he called it in when he did, or things would be worse.”
The unofficial cause of the fire, Burgis said, was a laptop in the main service area that caught fire. That computer was near a Ford Mustang, which also caught fire.
Flames damaged that Mustang and another beside it. Two other vehicles in the shop were smoke damaged. There were no injuries.
Chadds Ford Fire Marshal Tom Nelling, who is also the fire chief at Concordville Fire Co., was unavailable for comment.
Update: Pennsylvania State Police from Troop K, Media barracks, confirmed later in the afternoon of Friday, July 10, that the fire did start in the area where service technicians keep the laptops, printers and power strips. However, investigators, including Nelling and Concord Township Fire Marshal Fred Field, could not determine whether the passing thunderstorm Thursday night played any part in causing the fire.
(Main photo: The Mustang and Explorer on the right were damaged by flames. Two other vehicles were smoke damaged.)
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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