AUBURN -- Firefighters battled the Auburn Autofire on Central Avenue for over six hours Saturday night and woke Sunday to smoldering embers and a dozen cars burned or crushed.

The fire is suspected to have started on the eastern side of the building, but firefighters stopped its westward spread before it could reach the American Dream Real Estate building at 820 Central.

Roger Henderson of Auburn is among those expressing his gratitude for firefighters and Auburn Auto employees. His car was saved from inside of the building.

“It’s a 1969 Olds Cutlass convertible. I had it for about 45 years,” he said, “I bought it from a friend in high school. When I first got married, we eloped and drove it to Las Vegas."

Several cars were burned inside of the buildings and others damaged by fire, heat, and falling bricks on the lot outside.

But with some quick action, an important piece of Henderson’s past was spared.

“Fortunately Mike (Wiles) and his crew were able to get it out,” he said.

The auto repair building was established in 1920 and has been a Ford dealership, Tincher Auto Sales, and most recently Better Way Auto.