September 27, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Fire Damages Local Car Dealership

A fire that broke out in a ceiling light inset of a local auto dealership’s showroom this morning caused some tense moments for car shoppers and employees alike.

The fire department received the report of a fire in the Auto Mall showroom of Rountree Oldsmobile - Cadillac, 8750 Business Park Drive, at 9:36 a.m.

The fire was confined to the showroom’s ceiling, specifically a semi-transparent plastic covering over a recessed light. A portion of an adjacent ceiling tile also received some fire damage. Robert Davidson, 25, an off-duty Shreveport firefighter shopping for a new vehicle, was in the showroom at the time of the fire. With assistance from the employees there, Davidson was able to extinguish the fire before fire companies arrived. Davidson used a latter and a dry chemical fire extinguisher to douse the fire and neutralize a potentially dangerous situation. Firefighters did pull away additional ceiling tiles to ensure the fire was completely out.

Fire officials believe that the fire was caused by a short in the lone light’s electrical structure. Damage was confined to the light and several surrounding ceiling tiles. The business was never evacuated or closed during the incident. Afterwards, Davidson jokingly commented that he hoped that his actions would improve his chances at getting a better deal on a vehicle. ###