‘You got to get out;’ 911 calls detail moments a Riverside car wash caught fire

RIVERSIDE — Newly released 911 calls detail moments after a vehicle caught fire inside a Riverside car wash on Friday.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Flying Ace to close its doors until further notice after vehicle caught fire inside car wash

Crews were initially called to reports of a fire at the Flying Ace Express Car Wash in the 4800 block of Airway Road around 5:26 p.m., according to initial reports.

“The engine is smoking really bad and it’s on fire,” a 911 caller tells dispatchers.

The dispatcher asks the person if they were evacuating everyone and the person said, “Yes.”

The caller said a woman was trying to get her keys out of the car and the dispatcher told her not to do that.

“Hey, (occupant of the car) ma’am. We’ve got to get you out,” the caller yelled in the background. “You got to get out! You got to get out! We got to get out!”

The caller was yelling for people to get out of the building.

“(The smoke) it’s gray and white,” the caller said described to dispatchers. “The whole hood is on fire.”

>>PHOTOS: Several crews are on scene of a fire at a business on Airway Drive in Riverside

Riverside Fire crews arrived moments later and mutual aid was provided from Wright Patterson, Dayton and the Kettering Fire Departments.

The car wash is closed until further notice, Flying Ace said in a social media post Friday evening.

“The business is it a total loss,” Dan Stitzel, Riverside Fire Chief, told News Center 7. “At a minimum, the business would need to be completely gutted and rebuilt, possibly completely torn down and rebuilt.”

The fire is reported to be accidental and estimate damages are $500,000.

No injuries were reported.

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