City of Minot and Minot Rural firefighters responded to a call about 9:30 a.m. Friday. When they arrived on the scene at Roughneck Auto, 1425 Railway Avenue, flames were visible coming from a single-story warehouse and storage shop.

The warehouse, which was fully engulfed, was a total loss. According to a Minot Fire Department source, firefighters were able to pull “five or six” vehicles away from the fire but “probably two or three were lost” to the blaze. The warehouse was estimated to be about 5,000 square feet in size.

The location of the fire is outside of the city limits of Minot. Nevertheless, 10 firemen from the Minot Fire Department and eight from Minot Rural were initially on scene. The fire was considered “knocked down” about 1 p.m. Friday. Fire units remained on scene at late afternoon to cool down the burned facility and prevent any flare ups.

The first fire engine on scene was from Station 4, located on 55th Street Southeast, followed by a fire fighting crew dispatched from Station 2, located adjacent to the Ward County Office Building.

The State Fire Marshal began an investigation into the cause of the blaze late Friday afternoon. Initial reports from the scene indicated that the blaze appeared to have started in a chimney.