3 dead, 1 hospitalized in explosion that sparked massive fire at auto repair shop

HILLSBORO, Ohio — An explosion at an Ohio auto repair shop that killed three people and sent a fourth person to a hospital sparked a massive fire that burned for hours and spewed thick, black smoke into the air.

The explosion on Tuesday afternoon at Jimbo’s Auto Repair in Hillsboro was felt at several nearby locations, including Paint Creek Joint EMS & Fire District, whose crews responded quickly to the scene. The heavy smoke was visible for miles.

Information about the three people who died was not immediately released by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. The injured person remained hospitalized in stable condition on Wednesday.

The fire burned for several hours before being extinguished around midnight. Firefighters battled frigid conditions while battling the blaze, and Hillsboro city workers applied salt to nearby soaked roads to keep them from freezing. Some roads in the area were also closed for several hours.

The cause of the explosion was still being investigated on Wednesday. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also investigate.

Hillsboro is located about 50 miles east of Cincinnati.