BOUNTIFUL ó Alert firefighters averted a major disaster just before midnight Tuesday when they saw smoke coming from Willey Ford, 1800 South Main and turned around to fight the blaze. ìThe stars must have been in alignment,î South Davis Metro Fire Chief Jim Rampton said.##M:MORE##

He said crews from the headquarters station were dispatched to a report of a house fire at about 3100 South and Orchard Drive, just after midnight.

On their way there, they saw ìa lot of smoke coming from the dealership and thought ëthis isnít right,íî Rampton said. So, they diverted from the house fire and returned to Willey Ford. By then, Rampton said, they could see flames coming off the building.

Several additional units were called to the scene. The fire was confined mainly to the outside, with some flames reaching the attic, but crews had it knocked down in about 15 minutes. Rampton said they stayed on scene about two hours to ensure all hot spots were out. He said crews had to knock a hole in the roof to get to portions of the attic.

The area does not have a lot of traffic or people around at that time of night. ìHad they (the firefighters) not seen the smoke, it could have burned the roof. We saved it (the dealership),î Rampton said.

And as to the house fire which prompted the call, Rampton said it turned out to be a light in the window which a passerby mistook for a fire.

He said police arrived at the home almost immediately and reported there was no fire. ìWe sent another unit up there, just to make sure.î

mwilliams@davisclipper.com