The Rensselaer Fire Department responded to a structure fire at Paul’s Auto Repair, 1658 North McKinley Avenue, on the city’s far northside, at 1:38 p.m. on Thursday. In a press release issued by Fire Chief Kenny Haun on Friday, he stated fire crews found smoke and visible flames coming from the attic of the business when they arrived. Haun stated they were able to “make an aggressive interior attack”, extinguishing the fire and limiting it to the attic space. Fourteen firefighters were present and remained at the scene for approximately two hours to assure the fire was completely extinguished. The cause of the fire was ruled as a faulty furnace that was mounted in the ceiling of the structure. The Rensselaer Fire Department thanked the Remington Fire Department, Rensselaer Police and Jasper County Sheriff’s deputies for their assistance.
