About 150 BMW cars were destroyed as the Huron fire spread across 10 acres in Thornton on Wednesday after several days of dry, windy weather, according to local officials.
As of Friday morning, the cause of the fire was still unknown and officials said they could not offer a timeframe on when that would be determined.
The Thornton Fire Department responded quickly after a passerby saw mulch smoldering near Pinnacle Charter High School at 8412 Huron St. in Thornton on Wednesday. The report came at about 11:30 a.m. and soon after responding, crews called in for extra support, said Ernie Anderson, deputy chief of operations for the department.
“It started expanding rapidly. Within seconds, not even a full minute, it had started taking off across the open space,” he said at the fire station Friday. “It went from just an initial first alarm assignment for structure to a second and third alarm was called before resources even got on the scene.”
Ultimately, about 150 firefighters responded and contained the fire by about 2 p.m. Three firefighters and one fire investigator sustained minor injuries in the response. Despite earlier reports from officials, no civilians were injured.
Five businesses were affected, most of which were auto services. One of them, a luxury auto repair shop, specialized in repairing and selling parts for BMWs. Rol Race Autosports, owned by Jason Rol, attracts customers from across the country who are on the hunt for rare parts.
“A lot of people had their dream cars stored here, whatever that may look like,” he said.
Despite claims he’s seen online, Rol said his shop is not a junk yard but serves a community of bespoke car enthusiasts who need old-school parts.
There were a handful of “junk” cars and cars being used for parts, along with many BMWs that belonged to people working to restore them.
Rol has so far counted 148 vehicles burned by the fire, which produced billows of black smoke visible from across metro Denver.
“I’m a little overwhelmed with what to do and kind of in shock,” Rol said Friday. “This is the first morning I’ve had any real emotion. It’s been hard to get back down here every day.”
The shop started a GoFundMe to help raise money for customers and neighbors impacted by the fire, Rol said. The crowdfunding campaign had raised $6,000 as of Friday afternoon.
