Lightning sparks fire at Valley business
Jul 12, 2012, 7:31 AM | Updated: 7:32 am
PHOENIX — Lightning sparked a fire at a Phoenix business early Thursday morning, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.
A bolt hit the Republic Monetary Exchange building near 40th Street and Camelback Road around 12:45 a.m., igniting a fire on the second story and roof.
“When I got the call, my heart started racing and I got out of bed real quick,” CEO Jim Clark said. “I got over here only to find the place filled with firefighters and fire trucks. I thought: ‘this thing is going to go up in smoke.’ ”
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the second floor but the water damage is extensive.
“Our sales floor is under about a half-inch of water,” Clark said. “We lost a few computers but most of our expensive areas — our vault and (computer) servers — were spared.”
The Exchange will be closed Thursday, Clark said.
