Chemical explosion leads to fire at Excelsior Springs auto repair business

An explosion led to a fire at an Excelsior Springs auto shop Wednesday afternoon, killing one person and injuring another.

The Excelsior Springs Fire Department responded around 1:17 p.m. at Hart’s Auto Repair, 10 Schwartz Ave., according to ESFD Assistant Chief Joe Cline.

The “heavy fire” took several hours to extinguish, according to Cline. However, the fire was contained to the auto shop, and the fire department did not call for any surrounding buildings to be evacuated, Cline said.

The fire department discovered one person deceased at the scene of the fire, and another with injuries, Cline said. The second victim was transported to a local hospital.

ESFD declined to release the identity of the deceased person.

Flammable chemicals kept on hand in the garage contributed to the explosion, the Excelsior Citizen reported Wednesday. Cline said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Hart’s Auto Repair is a family-owned business previously located in Liberty.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.