An early morning three-alarm fire which occurred last Friday at Brian Toliver Ford Lincoln in Sulphur Springs had been under investigation by the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms team (ATF). It was recently released a spokesperson for the ATF stated there was “no indication of any criminal act” to be the cause of the fire which destroyed the vast majority of the automotive department and part of the showroom, which had just reopened following a lengthy remodel unveiled in November.
All city fire stations and five rural volunteer departments responded to the blaze with “explosions” being heard from inside the structure. The estimated loss to the dealership is $3 million.
The dealership located at 1040 Gilmer Street in Sulphur Springs is being patrolled by City of Sulphur Spring police while in the process of relocating to the former Gober-Merrell location near Interstate 30. Officials from the dealership have already moved some of their vehicles to the new location and are working on getting telephone lines operational. They have asked their customers to visit their Quitman location for any needs.
The Toliver family has a long history in the business as they started in 1930.