No injuries in Garden City auto shop explosion

No one was injured in an auto repair shop fire on the 100 block of E. 40th Street in Garden City that caused “significant damage,” Boise Fire Department officials said.

Spokeswoman Tammy Barry said people in an adjoining business heard an explosion around 12:50 p.m. Sunday. The explosion, which Barry said fire officials believe was caused by a cutting torch in the auto shop, blew out one wall of the building. The auto repair shop was empty at the time, and officials think a worker operating the torch may have failed to properly shut down the device before leaving.

It took firefighters 15 minutes to knock down the resulting fire, Barry said.

Barry said the business will be closed until the property can be inspected by a structural engineer. She said she was not sure when that might happen.

This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "No injuries in Garden City auto shop explosion."