There were no injuries but there was extensive damage to equipment and the garage bays from flames that erupted in the engine compartment of a van, officials said.

Linda Scott of Lewiston said she was the last person working and was getting ready to leave for the day around 4:15 p.m. She said she took one last service call and was getting ready to do her daily walk through to make sure the four-bay service area was all set for the night when she heard a popping noise coming from the ventilation system.

“I was literally getting ready to go,” Scott said, when the noise prompted her to look out back. “When I went out back, there was haze and smoke,” she said.

Fire flared out the ridge vent of the metal roof, fed by the wooden trusses beneath. Firefighters cut a section of the metal roof and peeled it back. A third alarm was called for personnel only for overhaul work.

At 5:33 p.m., Lewiston fire Chief Paul LeClair declared the fire under control with no injuries.

“It looks like it was heavy damage involving some of the business equipment — vehicles,” LeClair said.

LeClair said that although small amounts of flammable liquids were stored in the building, they were “very well” protected and properly stored. “I don’t see any indication of housekeeping issues,” he said.

Although LeClair said two or three business vehicles were damaged in the fire, he said the Auburn firefighters there providing backup were able to move other machinery and vehicles out of the structure.

According to Fire Investigator Paul Ouellette, the fire started in a garage bay where two box vans were parked front to back. Ouellette said the fire started in the engine compartment of the rear vehicle and spread to the one in front of it.

From there, Ouellette said a secondary fire ignited in the attic’s blown-in insulation and the wooden trusses.

Ouellette estimates the structural damage to be around $100,000 with more than another $100,000 in damage to equipment, including two trucks and six digital gas pumps.

According to Ouellette, power was restored to the front of the building at 3 Trident St. in the Lewiston Industrial Park by early Monday evening.

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