EDGEWATER, Fla. – A fire destroyed and heavily damaged 15 cars at the Edgewater Towing & Recovery around midnight on Tuesday.
[PHOTOS: Fire torches vehicles at Volusia tow yard]
"It was an inferno," said owner Myron Hammond.
Hammond told Local 6 that a neighbor was the first to see the 30 foot flames.
"He spotted the fire and called me. He then called the fire department, so that saved a lot of damage."
Within minutes, firefighters arrived and hosed down the fire but not before it consumed eight cars and damaged seven others. Charred frames and the smell of smoke still lingered in the air, while Hammond called customers about what happened to their cars.
"The lenses were melted and she was very nice about it. Unfortunately, it was involved in an accident before, that's why the car was here," said Hammond.
As for the rest of the vehicles, including the Chevrolet HHR that started the fire, those were already wrecked, abandoned and deemed a total loss.
The fire department said the fire was accidental. Apparently, a short circuit in the wiring is to blame. Hammond said the fire caused between $60,000 to $75,000 dollars in damages.
Hammond has been at this location since 2001 and has never had a fire.