Firefighters have ruled a fire outside a limousine warehouse in North Austin as arson.
The fire broke out around 5 a.m. Friday at the AAA Limousine warehouse on Interstate-35 North near Braker Lane, on the southbound frontage road.
Arson investigators here say it's possible that two people were involved.
Owner Mohammad Boujabadi watched as his business burned.
"Almost seven or eight people work for me. I take care of my family, their families. In this economy, that's very messed up, that's messed up," he said.
Daylight revealed the damage. The building is a total loss. Also gone is the most popular limo -- a stretch Cadillac Escalade.
Judging by the looks of the fence where the limo was secured, it appears the thief rammed it open, then drove through the property fence to get away.
The limo is now at an impound lot. Travis County deputies discovered it shortly after the fire started wrecked on the side of Old Lockhart Road in Mustang Ridge, about 20 miles away. A passerby found a man inside, badly burned. He was taken to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Investigators will question him about the arson. The driver of the limo is believed to have run away after the crash.
Boujabadi suspects a disgruntle employee he fired three weeks ago set the fire.
"He did something wrong so we let him go. That's why he told me ‘you're going to regret it.’ I said ‘OK, bye,’" he said.
Regardless of who did it, he hopes they are punished.
"Personally, there's nothing I can do -- that's justice. He pays for what he's done," he said.
The limo company is open for business. The damage totaled $240,000.
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