The Herald-Zeitung

An early morning blaze blackened the building of a local car dealership and charred at least one car Saturday.

Joe DeLeon, sales manager at Bluebonnet Motors at 1875 South Interstate 35, was awakened about 4:45 a.m. Saturday by an urgent phone call.

“Someone called and told me, ‘Come quick and bring your keys. Your building is on fire,’” DeLeon said. “I told them, ‘Break the gate down; break the doors down!’”

A faulty plug in the attic above the dealership’s porch is believed to have sparked the large fire, New Braunfels Fire Marshal Patrick O’Connell said.

The blaze scorched the inside of the building and a 2008 Mustang parked in the front. The loss is estimated at $100,000, O’Connell said.

DeLeon got to the property about 5 a.m., he said.

“By that time the fire was pretty much controlled,” he said. “They said I was lucky that there was a metal roof. It kept the fire contained inside, so most of the damage is from the smoke.”

The fire was out by 5:40 a.m. and investigators stayed on the scene until after 8 a.m., O’Connell said. He said the fire was determined to be accidental.

DeLeon said, “I don’t even know where we’re going to go from here. I just have no clue yet.”