Repair shop fire blamed on fireworks

Fireworks may have been the cause of a structure fire Tuesday afternoon at a diesel repair shop in Kalispell.

South Kalispell Fire Department firefighters extinguished the blaze that damaged an outside wall of the business on U.S. 93 near the city airport. The fire didn’t get into the interior of the business and its operations weren’t disrupted, according to South Kalispell Fire Chief Chris Yerkes.

The fire was reported at about 1:33 p.m. Pallets that were stacked up outside the building burned, but that fire was put out. However the flames had spread to the outside wall, burning it from ground level to the roof.

Yerkes did not state a known cause of the fire, but said that fireworks used by kids in a nearby neighborhood could potentially be a factor.

Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.