CUMMING, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Late Sunday afternoon. Forsyth County firefighters were pouring water on a fire that ripped through a Cumming car dealership. The fire broke out shortly before 1:30 p.m. at US Auto Sales which is in the 300 block of Atlanta Rd.
"Our Battalion Chief and a fire engine were driving by when they happened to see smoke. The 911 calls started coming in shortly thereafter," said Lt. Debbie Lendstrom, with the Forsyth Fire Department.
Strong winds made fighting the fire challenging.
"We had some exposure issues with the wind. We wanted to make sure the surrounding businesses were protected. We had some woods and grass brush fires come up as a result of the wind and the fire," Lendstrom said.
The building was destroyed and firefighters said 23 cars were either heavily damaged or destroyed. Firefighters from Gwinnett, Hall and Cherokee counties helped fight the fire. Forsyth fire officials said the outside units were brought to cover for firefighters who were attending a funeral for a long time department employee. CBS Atlanta News asked Forsyth fire officials Tough Questions about how the funeral effected fire coverage in the area.
"We had our stations fully staffed as they would have been on a normal business day for the Forsyth County Fire Department," Lendstrom said.
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