A two-alarm fire engulfed and destroyed the building of a motorcycle dealership in Escondido Saturday night, confirmed the Escondido Fire Department.
Crews were working on Monday to stabilize the structure before anyone is able to go inside the building, said Escondido Fire Battalion Chief Art Holcomb. The fire happened at the Ducati motorcycle service and sales center.
From the start there were fears that the building might collapse, so firefighters did not enter the building, said Holcomb. Fire crews were summoned from Escondido, San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe and Carlsbad.
It's still unclear exactly what caused the fire, said Holcomb. Arson investigators have not been able to explore the building yet because it's too unstable.
The fire appears to have started on the inside, in the rear end of the building, said Holcomb. It occurred in the motorbike repair facility, according to the business owner.
At least 125 motorcycles were destroyed in the fire, and all of the equipment, tools and parts in the repair facility, said Holcomb. The owner says the equipment losses may value over two million dollars, not including building damage.
Escondido Fire Duty Investigator Sandy Bauer said there was nothing to indicate the fire was suspicious. Fire crews hope to have the building stabilized by Tuesday morning, said Bauer.
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The Ducati and Moto Forza dealership and a few other businesses in the building were completely destroyed, said fire officials.
Firefighters were called to the scene of the dealership located on the 500 block of North Hale Avenue at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night, according to Escondido Fire. Flames and heavy smoke rose from the large, two-story building.
The fire soon burned through the roof and escalated into a two-alarm fire. This prompted requests for additional firefighters from neighboring areas, said fire officials.
At the height of the fire there were 32 firefighters, eight fire engines and three trucks at the scene, said Jeff Murdock, the Emergency Preparedness Manager for Escondido Fire. There were concerns that one of the walls on the north side might be peeling away and separating from the building during the fire.
No other buildings were damaged and nobody was hurt in the fire. The investigation will proceed once the building is stablized, said Holcomb.
The fire appears to be unrelated to a separate fire that destroyed a local motorcycle club Saturday night in Kearny Mesa.
