SAN DIEGO, (Sept. 13, 2006) — Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have joined the investigation of a Sept. 10 fire that caused $3.5 million in damage to a downtown Express Tire Auto Service Centers store.
The ATF said its National Response Team is working with agents from its San Diego office, as well as investigators from the San Diego Fire Department, Metro Arson Strike Team.
The fire at the Express Tire store caused the evacuation of 160 people from a residential hotel, according to an Associated Press report.
Express Tire, a 51-year-old independent Goodyear dealership, operates 26 stores in and around San Diego and Riverside County, according to the dealership's Web site. Originally called L&M Tire, its name was changed in 1986 to Express Tire.