Updated story: Fire at Ziebart Tidy Car in Pittsfield Township was accidental, fire officials say

A fire damaged a building housing an automotive rust-proofing business and transmission shop in Pittsfield Township and shut down Carpenter Road late Thursday, township fire officials said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined but does not appear to be suspicious, officials said. No one was injured.

The fire broke out inside Ziebart Tidy Car at 4161 Carpenter Road just after 11 p.m. The fire started in the shop area of the business, officials said.

The 50-foot-by-200-foot building, across from Rave Motion Pictures on Carpenter Road, houses both Ziebart and Ann Arbor Transmissions. 

Capt. Craig Liggett said several people leaving the movie theater noticed flames through the windows of Ziebart and called 911.

No employees were inside the building at the time, Liggett said. Three hand lines were used to contain and extinguish the fire.

Liggett said the fire damaged equipment inside Ziebart, including work benches and a couple of vehicles. Ann Arbor Transmissions had minor damage because firefighters had to pull down sections of ceiling to make sure the fire hadn't spread into that part of the building, Liggett said.

Carpenter Road at Ellsworth Road was closed to traffic for about an hour as firefighters battled the blaze.

Firefighters from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township assisted at the scene. Crews were there until about 2 a.m.

"We were lucky people saw it when they did because that area doesn't get a lot of traffic after 11 p.m.," Liggett said. "It had enough heat that it could have really gotten going and probably would have taken out most of the building if it hadn't been discovered when it was."

A damage estimate is not yet available.