Two employees of a Vancouver tire dealership remain hospitalized in serious condition after one of them caught on fire and the other tried to put the flames out with his hands.
The fire eventually engulfed the entire tire store. It occurred at the Big O Tires store at around 2 p.m. Monday.
Fire officials said the two employees were repairing a fuel tank when gasoline fumes were ignited, possibly by a nearby space heater. Witnesses at the scene described hearing an explosion and seeing flames.
The fire spread to the two-story building and when firefighters arrived the building was "fully involved," said fire officials. The extent of damage to the building is unknown.