FIRE raged through a car dealership in York today, gutting a service bay and leaving offices with heavy smoke damage.

The blaze started in a Ford Transit van parked in the MoT bay of Polar Ford, Jockey Lane, near Monks Cross shopping centre, and spread to other parts of the main workshop.

The fire tore a hole in the roof of the service area, while smoke spread to two other cars which were in the service bays overnight ,and to the main Polar administrative offices on the first floor.

Four fire crews were called out from York, Acomb and Tadcaster, after an automatic fire alarm at Polar was triggered shortly after 5am.

Firefighters entered the service bay in breathing apparatus, and used foam to tackle the blaze.

Firefighter Lee Smith, from York, said: "The service area was well alight when we arrived, and we were concerned firstly with the amount of smoke, coming from such a large area, and also for the fact that there were acetylene cylinders in the workshop, which could have exploded.

"Fortunately, we discovered that these were in the far end of the service area, and had not been affected.

"The fire seems to have begun in the Transit vehicle parked in the bay, and that has been completely destroyed.

"There is a mezzanine floor above and behind the workshop, and that has also been damaged."

Polar staff arrived to find all the access gates to the compound locked, as did staff from Moto Car Warehouse, a separate car dealership which also uses the site.

The showrooms, offices and service bays were expected to remain closed throughout today.

A spokeswoman for Polar Group said: "It really is too early for us to talk about the cost of this fire. At present, our staff have not yet even been able to re-enter the building.

"It is likewise difficult for us to contemplate re-opening when we are so unsure of the situation."

The cause of the fire is not known.

Updated: 11:32 Thursday, August 09, 2001