Fire destroys Lawrence County car dealership

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Pa. — Fire destroyed a Lawrence County car dealership Wednesday afternoon. The owner of Car Connection Superstore tells Channel 11 that a Kia Soul suddenly caught fire, which quickly spread.

Mike Mansour tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, but it grew too quickly.

“I’m devastated to see this all happen. My tears could have put out the fire actually,” Mansour said. “As the fire went under the hood I needed waterpower, the fire extinguisher wasn’t enough.”

Mansour got all of his employees out safely. Multiple people passing by shot video of the smoke and flames growing from the autobody side of his building.

“When you’re panic it’s almost like you’re underwater gasping for oxygen. What’s my future? What’s gonna happen? Is the fire department going to be here fast enough?” Mansour said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there is a recall alert for 2011-2013 Kia Souls for the risk of engine compartment fire while driving or parked. Mansour wasn’t sure what year the car was, and they are waiting for investigators to determine the cause.

“I don’t know why it caught fire. I heard rumors people thought it was a battery fire. It was not,” he said.

Eight cars were destroyed in the fire, and the whole autobody shop that Mansour said was fully automated, which he created himself over the years.

“A lot of heart and soul. Gonna be a tough one to explain to the insurance company. Nothing wasn’t automated,” Mansour said. “Looking to come back stronger bigger and better.”

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