Fire investigators do not believe there was anything suspicious about a fire Sunday night that destroyed a Jefferson City auto business.
According to Fire Department reports, crews were called out at 10:05 p.m. to go to Cohen Auto Sales, 1913 St. Louis Road.
The first 911 calls reported heavy smoke showing from the center of the building.
When fire companies arrived on the scene they reported large flames coming from the building.
As firefighters entered the building to extinguish the blaze, the fire spread from the center of the garage area into the front of the building.
It took firefighters about 40 minutes to bring the fire under control.
There was no one in the building at the time of the fire.
A total of 17 personnel remained on the scene until after 1 a.m. Off-duty fire personnel were called in to man apparatus and provide coverage to the city while fire crews remained on the scene.
Although cold weather provided challenges to firefighters with ice buildup on the ground and inside the building, no firefighters were injured.
An official cause was still being looked at, but investigators said they were looking at the possibility that the fire started from a heating device malfunctioning.
Shawn Chilton, owner of Cohen's Auto Sales, said he plans to rebuild the structure. While the auto sales he did from the location were not a primary business for him, he expressed concern for the six Capital City Crush girls' softball teams that rented the building for their practices.
"We didn't lose any family members; we didn't lose anything else here," Chilton said. "I'm more concerned about the youth softball team back there that lost all their stuff. My worry is for them and what I can do to help them."
The softball organization stored all of its equipment including batting cages, pitching machines, balls and bats in the building, all of which was lost in the fire.
"They have asked me to rebuild - they like the area - which I'm going to do," Chilton said.