1 person hospitalized following 3-alarm fire at auto repair building in Glendale

GLENDALE, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- Firefighters in Glendale battled a fire at an auto repair building Friday afternoon.

According to officials, the fire was burning on the 6100 block of W. Glendale Avenue, near the intersection of Grand, 59th, and Glendale Avenues. Crews from Glendale, Phoenix, Peoria, and Goodyear were on scene.

"I went outside and that's when I heard the explosion. Something blowing up. I don't know what it was," said Anthony Dazzo.

After hearing explosions inside Vintage Motors Auto Repair Shop, Dazzo, who works across the street, said he came out to flames and rising black smoke, followed by about a dozen people running out of the burning building.

"They were running out, then one gentleman I guess was working in there and might have got burned, he came out," said Dazzo.

One person, according to Glendale Fire officials, was taken to the hospital, and there are no other injuries. When fire crews arrived, they found a car on fire inside the building, which caused flames to quickly spread. The roof collapsed as crews transitioned from an offensive to a defensive strategy.

"It is a brick building which makes it very hot inside. Also, very hard to make access when you're talking defensive. We can go in and put it out. Would be easier, but because we're outside of the building, we can't break through brick," said Amber Campbell with Glendale Fire.

Officials say equipment in the shop may have caused the explosions, and HAZMAT team members responded as a precaution.

Triple-digit heat was a factor in battling the flames, but also the humidity during the monsoon season.

"We try to pre-determine that this could happen on any given shift," said Campbell. "Make sure that our crew members are not working out on scene, that they're taking it easy as much they can, but still acclimating themselves to the heat, as well as staying as hydrated as possible."

Another concern for crews was the potential of the north and east walls of the building collapsing. The cause of the fire is under investigation.