Norwich — While the fire that broke out at Kleemann Service Center Sunday evening destroyed the portion of the building where it started, city fire Chief Kenneth Scandariato said the devastation could have been worse.

“We took some extraordinary risks to stop the fire in the area of origin, and we did that successfully,” Scandariato said.

The structure at 401 N. Main St., he explained, is split into three sections. Two of them, housed in a metal building set back from the road, are home to Kleemann Service Center.

The other section, a nearly square showroom situated closer to the road, houses Swift Performance Automotive.

Scandariato said smoke already was inside the showroom when firefighters arrived, signaling the fire was heading that way and creating a need for firefighters to act urgently.

Because they did, only the approximately 70-by-120-foot, two-story section on the right side of the Kleemann building was affected, Scandariato said.

It took just about two hours for firefighters from several departments to bring the 5:02 p.m. fire under control.

Scandariato said the blaze was tough to fight for multiple reasons.

Gasoline inside the building added fuel to the fire. Because the building is below-grade, access was an issue. An early roof collapse put even more spots out of reach.

Witnesses reported seeing flames shooting 30 feet into the air before firefighters arrived.

The affected section of the building, Scandariato said, was declared a total loss.

Three people were inside the building when the fire began, and all escaped, he said. No firefighters were injured.

Scandariato said fire officials are not considering the fire incendiary at this time.

He said an employee reported having sparked the fire while doing grinding work, and a subsequent investigation confirmed the story.

l.boyle@theday.com