Custom motorcyle shop in Austin heavily damaged in Thursday fire

A custom motorcycle shop in southeast Austin suffered $600,000 in damages in a fire Thursday.

Austin Fire Chief Jim McCoy stated in a news release that crews were called at 3:35 p.m. Thursday afternoon for a report of a fire at M-D Customs motorcycle shop in the 1100 block of 5th Place SE.  Firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke showing from the business, with a fire reported in the basement. Chief McCoy stated that attempts to make entry into the building were unsuccessful due to the structural integrity of the floor, and he added that the office area of the shop is being considered a total loss.  He went on to state that the owner was able to salvage multiple motorcycles from the shop area, and the fire caused $600,000 worth of damage to the building and its contents.

Fire Departments from Brownsdale and Lyle were called in for mutual aid in battling the blaze, and no injuries were reported.  Chief McCoy reported that the State Fire Marshal is investigating the scene today.