Fire destroys Roselle motorcycle repair shop

No injuries were reported in an early morning fire Wednesday that destroyed a motorcycle repair shop and damaged several other businesses on the 900 block of Central Avenue in Roselle.

Firefighters arrived shortly after 1:30 a.m. to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the shop; a rear overhead door already had melted off.

Because the shop is part of a multi-tenant one-story commercial complex, firefighters requested help from roughly a dozen other departments either at the scene or to staff Roselle fire stations.

Fire Marshal Bob Morris said crews punched several holes in the roof of the motorcycle repair shop to ventilate the smoke and fire and ensure it did not spread to adjoining units.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Several other businesses in the complex sustained various degrees of smoke and water damage, he said, although most should be able to reopen either on Thursday or in the next several days.