Fire destroys debut of remodeled Kia showroom in Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -

A raging fire that destroyed the showroom of a south Scottsdale car dealership early Tuesday morning started inan unoccupied attic area above a hallway and bathrooms, fire investigators said.

The first-alarm fire began shortly after 12:30 a.m. at Mark Kia,1000 N. Scottsdale Rd., near the city's border with Tempe.The remodeled building was in the final stages of construction after a year of remodeling.

It will still be some time before the actual cause of the accidental fire is determined. Scottsdale fire personnel and the insurance investigators are working through the process of examining the damaged equipment and rubble of the collapsed area.

Mark Kia general manager JoshSpencer said there were no cars in the showroom, which passed its fire inspection Monday, and no cars damaged in the lots. He said they had planned to move the cars into the showroom Tuesday morning.

The building had not yet been cleared for a final Certificate of Occupancy by the Scottsdale Building and Fire Departments.

Spencer said the dealership had spent about $500,000 to $1 million on the year-long remodel leading up to Tuesday's "move-in date."

Damage estimates are placed between$800,000 to $1 million.

Scottsdale Fire Chief Tom Shannon said the fire inspectors check fire extinguishers, exits and some other items, and that the attic would be an electrical, mechanicalor air-conditioning inspection.

The fireburned throughthe main plastic pipe that fed the dealership'sfire sprinkler system, a typical event in a fire of this nature, the spokesman said.

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Fire destroys debut of remodeled Kia showroom in Scottsdale