A fire Wednesday afternoon gutted an auto body shop belonging to Bobby Johnson at 117 Yolanda Hills Road, known as Bobby’s Auto Sales.
Central Dispatch received the call at 1:19 p.m.
County Fire Chief Donny Green said Johnson had been in the shop cutting holes in a piece of angle iron with a torch, but had stopped to go into the house to get something. When Johnson came back out, he discovered the fire coming from the area in the shop where he had a stack of papers.
Green said since the bay doors were open at the time, Johnson speculated that high winds blew the hot metal residue or slag from the torch cutting into the papers, igniting the blaze.
The fire spread quickly, destroying the shop and most of the contents including a golf cart, lawnmower, four wheeler, tools, and body shop equipment.
According to Chief Green, Johnson was able to get out a few things including a small four wheeler and a dirt bike.
Members of the Main Station, Short Mountain Highway, Midway and Liberty stations of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with a tanker truck and the Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS. No one was injured.
Chief Green said firefighters consider the shop to be a total loss.
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