Fire engulfs Sunnyside auto mechanic's shop

SUNNYSIDE -- A downtown fire this morning sent a man to the hospital with burns on his arms and destroyed an auto mechanic's shop.

Sunnyside firefighters were called about 8:45 a.m. to a fire inside one of the garage bays of In and Out, an auto repair business on the corner of Decatur Avenue and Sixth Street.

About 20 firefighters from Sunnyside and Grandview contained the fire, though it continued to burn between two layers of roof past 10 a.m.

The blaze gutted the 1927 building and destroyed three cars inside the garage. It also caused a variety of damage to 14 cars parked around the building.

The blaze also put up a plume of black smoke visible from as far away as Interstate 82 near Grandview.

Firefighters are uncertain of the cause, said Sunnyside Fire Chief Aaron Markham, but it started inside while someone was working on a car.

Two people were in the building at the time. One suffered burns to his arms but declined treatment at the scene, Markham said. Someone later took him to Sunnyside Community Hospital.

Hospital spokesman Tom Lathen said his injuries are not serious.

The building is also home to Ruiz Mobile Auto Detailing, housed in an addition built in 1988.

Sunnyside Police officers closed two blocks of Decatur and Sixth.

-- Ross Courtney