Arson suspected in downtown Fresno fire

Arson is suspected in an early-morning fire that erupted on South Broadway Street on Monday morning in downtown Fresno.

The fire broke out shortly before 7 a.m. at Collision Auto Body Parts in the 400 block of South Broadway. Multiple fire trucks from the City of Fresno and Fresno County Fire arrived and the blaze was quickly brought under control, with help from a sprinkler that went off inside the building.

Battalion Chief Thomas Cope said there were masonry walls inside that prevented the fire from spreading to nearby businesses.

While it initially appeared that the fire caused by some type of electrical malfunction, investigator Jay Tracy said later in the morning that arson appeared to be a possibility.

The building sustained extensive water damage from the sprinkler, and the amount of damage was being assessed.