AMITY - A two-alarm fire early Friday destroyed a large shop and all its contents, including a motorhome and several restored automobiles, southeast of Amity.

When firefighters arrived at the Duane and Joyce Massey residence, off Eola Hills Road at 23500 Franquette Drive, the 40-foot by 60-foot shop was a ball of flame. They found propane tanks, gas tanks and pressurized tires exploding.

A two-story home of more than 4,000 square feet was saved.

The blaze was called in about 1:30 a.m. More than a dozen pieces of equipment and more than 35 firefighters were dispatched from Amity, Dayton, McMinnville, Newberg and Sheridan.

Amity Fire Chief Bruce Hubbard said there was nothing fire crews could do to save the shop and its high-value contents, so they concentrated their efforts on saving the adjacent home. He estimated the shop damage at $500,000 to $750,000, but said it could be some time before an exact accounting is available.

There is no water supply in the immediate area, and a substantial amount of water was needed, so a second alarm was sounded to summon additional resources.

"We used six water tenders," Hubbard said. "We needed lots of water. We were pulling out of a 10,000-gallon holding tank."

The underground holding tank was installed about 10 years ago with just this kind of fire in mind. An engine stationed there, about a half-mile from the scene, continuously pumped water from the tank into a caravan of tenders.

The shop sheltered a Marathon motor home, two 1957 Chevrolets, a 1962 Corvette convertible and a 1974 Jeep, Hubbard said. He said it also housed a golf cart, quad ATV, trackhoe, Harley-Davidson motorcycle and extensive set of tools.

Hubbard said Duane Massey is a second cousin. He said he is familiar with Massey's penchant for classic cars.

The blaze was reported by John and Catherine Eshleman, owners of Amity Self Storage, who are neighbors.

"I noticed some flickering light, and then it got bright all of a sudden," John Eshleman said. "I got out of bed and noticed flames coming out of the southwest corner of the building.

"I went down there, and Duane and I did what we could until the fire department came. He was down there with a hose. But at some point, we realized there was some explosive stuff in there and we backed off."

Eshleman praised firefighters, saying they were very organized in their attack.

The Masseys and Eshlemans have lived next door for more than 10 years.

Eshleman termed the Masseys dear friends. When he last saw them Friday morning, he told them to let him know if they needed anything, he said.

"No one got hurt, and that's the big thing," Eshleman said. "The stuff that burned is just stuff, regardless of how valuable it is. Fortunately, there was no loss of life or limb."