Paint shop fire causes $600,000 damage

A paint shop fire at the General Motors assembly plant in the Fairfax area of Kansas City, Kan., on Wednesday evening caused about $600,000 damage, according to a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department.

No one was injured in the fire, the spokesman said.

The probable cause of the fire was sparks from welding crews ignited lubrication oil stored in the area, according to the Fire Department.

Fire crews arrived within about 3 minutes of the call, about 5:46 p.m. Wednesday, at 3201 Fairfax Trafficway, the spokesman said.

When fire crews arrived, all workers had already evacuated the building, and the sprinkler system had activated, the spokesman said.

Water from the sprinklers extinguished most of the fire. Firefighters entered the building and extinguished burning oils floating on top of sprinkler waters, the spokesman said.

The fire investigator went to the scene of the fire. Damage was estimated at $100,000 to property and $500,000 to contents of the building, according to the Fire Department.

Fire crews remained on the scene of the fire until a third party electrical company could respond to, isolate and shut off power to the building and machinery, the spokesman said.