Several fire departments battled a blaze at Gary's Tire at Gluck Farm on Packerville Road in Plainfield on Tuesday morning and the shop owner suffered burns while trying to keep it from spreading.
Oil and gas inside the tire shop caused the fire to spread quickly, gutting the shop and Gluck's customers' cars.
Based on evidence gathered at the scene and eyewitness accounts, the fire was determined to have been intentionally set, according to police and fire officials.
The Plainfield Fire Department was shorthanded because of another fire nearby and they had to bring in water from a hydrant in the main part of town and a nearby well.
Gary Gluck has owned the car repair shop for almost 40 years and burned his forehead while trying to move tires in an attempt to stop the fire from spreading.
"Some of the cars were just starting to get on fire," he said. "The trailer had a lot of tires and they were just smoking."
Donna Fritch, an NBC Connecticut viewer, provided this video her husband shot, showing intense flames.
Fritch said she could hear explosions that sounded like gunshots at first.
