Early morning fire closes Ford and Chrysler store at McPherson dealership
No injuries reported after 36 firefighters battle blaze at Midway Motors
MCPHERSON, Kan. — An early morning fire Wednesday caused significant damage to a McPherson car dealership, forcing the closure of its Ford and Chrysler store until further notice.
No injuries were reported in the blaze at Midway Motors, 2075 E. Kansas Ave. The company's neighboring General Motors facility remained open.
Deputy Fire Chief Seth Graham said crews were dispatched at 2:54 a.m. and arrived to find smoke and flames shooting from the roof of the commercial structure. A total of 36 personnel from fire departments in McPherson, Galva, Inman and Moundridge responded with 11 pieces of apparatus and brought the fire under control.
Area residents reported hearing four explosions during the incident, three of which occurred in rapid succession. It's common to hear explosions during commercial garage or dealership fires because of the combustible materials on-site, such as tires, pressurized tanks (like welding gasses or freon), and vehicle fuel tanks. The official cause remains under investigation; foul play is not suspected.
Dealership officials said phones are working and staff are contacting customers to handle existing service appointments and sales through the GM store. The business is also using other Midway Motors locations in the region to assist customers during the disruption.
"Not how we hoped to start our day, but the Ford and Chrysler store had a fire and will be closed until further notice," Midway Motors said in a statement. "We appreciate all the support already pouring in from the community and the quick help from the fire department early this morning."
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