Firefighters from two agencies responded to Folsom’s Historic District where a vehicle fire within the three-story city parking structure made for some intense moments Wednesday evening.
At 7:12 p.m. on Monday evening, emergency crews were dispatched to a reported vehicle fire in the Historic Folsom District parking garage. Shortly after the initial call, the situation was upgraded to a commercial fire, prompting additional support from both Folsom Fire and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
Upon arrival, firefighters found a Mazda sedan engulfed in flames on the basement level of the three-story parking garage. The intense heat had already triggered the building’s emergency fire sprinklers. As firefighters began their initial attack on the blaze, additional personnel moved to the upper levels to ensure the evacuation of the entire structure, which had filled with heavy smoke.
Crews were able to extinguish the fire, which is believed to have started in the engine compartment of the vehicle. The sedan suffered severe damage, but firefighters confirmed there was no significant extension of the flames to the structure.
The burning vehicle had been parked beneath a commercial retail space currently under construction, slated to become Uncle Charlie’s Firehouse Brewery in 2025.
©Folsom Times photos by Ian Cornell & Taryn Grows.
The brewery’s owners, Charlie and Taryn Grows, arrived at the scene to assess the situation. Taryn Grows told Folsom Times that while an initial inspection suggested minimal impact to the business, further evaluations would be conducted for potential smoke damage.
Once the fire was fully contained, firefighters reopened all levels of the parking garage, allowing motorists to retrieve their vehicles. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A total of 14 units responded to the incident. Responding units included six engines, a medic unity and one truck from the Folsom Fire Department as well as two battalion units. Metro Fire responded with one additional truck company and one engine. As of 9:00 p.m. one engine remained on scene as they mopped up the incident.
