Mesa auto repair shop seriously damaged following fire

MESA, Ariz. (KSAZ) -- A man is speaking out, after he witnessed a fire that left behind a lot of damage at a Mesa auto repair shop.

At least half a dozen cars were left charred by the flames.

"Sitting there, talking to a couple of my co-workers, and we heard some screaming," said Mel Megargle, describing the moments before he turned and saw black smoke pouring from An auto body repair shop Tuesday morning. He called 911, and then immediately started shooting video.

"There was a ton of fire, and a lot of exploding," said Megargle. "I guess there were chemicals inside, and from that point, it was just downhill from there."

There were two employees inside at the time, and both were able to make it out safely.

"I hear, 'what do I do, what do we do'," Megargle recounted. "There was a burst of flames out the building."

Mesa firefighters then arrived on scene, and immediately went to work.

"Multiple crews responded," said Capt. Christopher Love with the Mesa Fire Department. "We had over ten units and over 50+ fire fighters on scene at one point."

It appears there were at least five cars damaged inside the garage. Fire investigators combed through the scene, trying to figure out what may have sparked the blaze. At this hour the cause of the fire is still under investigation.