Beaverton auto service dealership center damaged by overnight fire

BEAVERTON, Ore. — A Beaverton car dealership's service building and more than a dozen vehicles were heavily damaged by an overnight fire Wednesday evening.

Fire crews were called to respond to the fire at a dealership on Southwest Canyon Road shortly before midnight, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R). They arrived to find flames shooting from the roof and coming out of several bay windows of the two-story service building.

Some firefighters began searching the building for occupants while others worked to attack the fire and contain it to service areas. No victims or occupants were found and no injuries were reported following the fire, TVF&R said. Canyon Road was temporarily closed so firefighters could extend hoses across the street to the nearest fire hydrant. It took approximately 40 minutes to bring the fire under control.

The burned cars included several electric vehicles, so hazmat team members remained on scene overnight to keep the batteries cool and ensure the fire didn't reignite. TVF&R said that although the fire involved electric vehicles, the exact cause was still under investigation. A fire investigator was on site Thursday morning.

Footage from the scene shows fire crews in the parking lot of a Buick, GMC and Cadillac facility, but it's not entirely clear if that's where the fire occurred; TVF&R did not release the name of the dealership in question, saying only that the incident occurred along Canyon Road, near the intersection with Southwest 91st Avenue, where more than half a dozen dealers and service centers.