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Show X' A, "7f5 I i fit " s -i ' $ QUJ-C . "iinn'i The Cedar City Fire Department works at putting out the fire last week at U & S Motor Company. Damage estimates currently are at about $2z5,ouo. The cause of the fire has, been determined to be an elec- trical malfunction. U&S Motors fire loss nearing 225,000 Damage estimates on the fire at U & S Motors, Co., last week are nearing $225,000. Loss estimates have not been definitely established, but Cedar City Fire Chief David Bentley and State Fire Marshall Steve Kennedy are estimating that it is quite extensive. Nearly $125,000 in parts could b ruined, said Steve Mitchell, president o the company, as well as approximately $100,000 damage to the building itself In addition, two customers' cars in thi service area also suffered minoi damage, mainly from smoke anc wate . Luckily, said Bentley, most equip ment and supplies, except for parts were moved out of the building. The fin was stopped by a firewall fron spreading into a large part of th building, saving further damage. The fire started at the car dealership 100 S. Main Street, about 8:30 p.m Wednesday and was caused, said Bentley, by an electrical malfunction. "It was a real tough one to fight," added Bentley, who believes after an initial investigation that the source of the lire was in a faulty light in the second floor of the parts room, From there the fire spread into the manager's office, the showroom and f the service area, "lt was just a rolling ! mass of flame back through that service ser-vice area," said Bentley. I The fire caused Main Street in the J center of town to be blocked for over three hours, until the fire was completely com-pletely extinquished well after mid-. mid-. night. Bentley said he dispatched every piece of equipment the department has. J "1 personally feel very good about the 1 way it was handled," continued Ben-; Ben-; tley, referring to the quick response of the volunteer department and the , preventing of the fire from spreading to . nearby businesses. |