Despite the response of all fire units and personnel on St. Croix after a 911 call around 4 a.m. Monday, efforts failed to prevent HH Tire and Battery from burning to the ground, leaving behind swirling clouds of toxic smoke and the smell of burning rubber.
As of Monday evening, the cause of the fire was unknown.
By noon Monday, the structure that housed the family business for 52 years was charred and twisted metal. The roof over 16 service bays on the east side had collapsed and crushed equipment and vehicles waiting for repair.
Although the fire appeared to be out, smoke continued to fill the air in thick, gray plumes.
According to Fire Service Lieutenant Paul Christian, equipment from the Christiansted, Frederiksted, Cotton Valley and Grove Place fire stations – eight trucks and about 30 fire fighters – fought the blaze through the morning and the rest of the day.
At one point, in the morning, V.I. Public Works was called in to provide equipment to break down a wall so fire fighters could extinguish flames inside the building.
Around noon, Christian said the fire was contained but because of the toxic fumes caused by melting tires, traffic on Centerline Road east of Sunny Isles was diverted and several schools in the area were closed before noon, including both high schools.
The road and schools should reopen Tuesday, Christian said.
Also by Tuesday, Christian said, officials hope the smoke will have dissipated enough for arson investigators and insurance inspectors to begin combing through the remains searching for clues and the source of the fire.
“We’ve got to go from the east side to the west side, inch by inch, to determine the cause. After we determine the cause, we’ll tear it down,” Christian said.
HH Tire and Battery was founded by Howard Hensley in 1964 and has been managed by his son, Patrick Hensley, for decades. Hensley is off island and was unavailable Monday for comment.
Jeff Ward, part owner and long time employee, was notified about the fire around 5 a.m. by the alarm company.
He said “It’s been difficult,” but there will be a meeting Tuesday morning to discuss logistics to reopen the vehicle service center.
“I’m concerned about the employees. Everybody needs a paycheck,” he told the Source Monday night. “I’d rather have (Hurricane) Hugo than this, but we’re going to get through this.”
Quality Auto, a part of HH Tire located east of the tire shop, will become the company headquarters until further notice, Ward said. More will be decided in the days ahead about the day-to-day operations of the company, he added.
“We’re going to be like the phoenix,” Ward said, the mythical bird that according to legend burned, then rose again from the ashes.
