At 8:21 p.m. Thursday, December 16, 2004, Radcliff Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at the Herb Jones Jeep dealership at 638 South Dixie.  Firefighters arrived two minutes later to find extremely heavy fireloads in the shop area with heavy smoke throughout the structure.  Elizabethtown,  Vine Grove, Central Hardin, and Rineyville Fire Departments provided mutual aid, while a second alarm brought in all off-duty Radcliff firefighters.  Firefighters promptly set up protection lines for the Shell Food Mart at the corner of Vine and Dixie, 50 feet north of the burning structure.  Using a defense attack, they brought the fire under control at 9:20 p.m.

Approximately 72,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire.  Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric shut down the block for safety, as main transmission lines run through the Herb Jones lot.  Altogether, seven engines, one tanker, one command vehicle, and 52 personnel worked the scene.  Hardin County Ambulance Service set up a temporary rehab center to monitor firefighters’ vitals and to provide cold drinks.  The only injury was a minor puncture wound to one firefighter who stepped on a nail that penetrated his boot. 

A confirmed loss estimate is unknown at this time, but damage exceeds one million dollars.  Cause of the fire is under investigation.  Radcliff Fire Department and Radcliff Police Department personnel are working together to secure the facility each night.