TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Fire Department crews extinguished a two-alarm fire Monday morning at an abandoned former Speedway gas station near Grant Road and Stone Avenue, an intense blaze that prompted concerns about the safety of firefighters and the public.
The fire was reported shortly after 9 a.m. and temporarily shut down traffic in both directions at the busy intersection. The Tucson Fire Department confirmed the fire was at the former Speedway station.
Deputy Chief of Operations Adam Bower said the fire initially reminded crews of a 2025 fire at a similar structure near 22nd Street that resulted in a smoke explosion.
“If you recall, we had the 22nd street fire? Same type of structure, everything else, and we had the big smoke explosion on that. So that was at the forefront of our minds, and dictated some of our operations,” Bower said.
Bower described Monday’s blaze as particularly intense.
“It was a very intense fire. As far as hairs raising on the back of my neck, it raises concerns for the safety of my crews and the public,” he said.
The cause remained under investigation Monday. Bower said firefighters found no signs that anyone had been living inside the building and had to force entry to inspect it.
“We didn’t see any signs of habitation. We had to force entry to take looks inside of things. Most of the fire started on the side of this building right here. The fire did burn all the way through the roof, but we did not have any indications it was occupied at all,” Bower said.
City records show the property has been identified in the past as an abandoned gas station, with code enforcement cases dating back years involving trash, graffiti and reports of people squatting in or around the vacant building.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality also has an active groundwater and soil investigation area surrounding the Stone Avenue and Grant Road intersection. The agency said tetrachloroethene, or PCE, was detected in soil gas beneath a building near Stone Avenue, though officials have not linked the environmental investigation to Monday’s fire.
With the fire extinguished, Bower said city crews planned to address the damaged structure.
“It doesn’t have any more concerns from us on that — just making sure the fire’s all the way out, and then we’ll fence the building off from there,” Bower said.
The Tucson Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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