Fire damaged three vehicles Thursday evening at a shopping center in Roanoke.

According to Roanoke Fire-EMS spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury, crews were called about 6:30 p.m. to Townside Festival Center on Franklin Road.

When they arrived, they found flames shooting approximately 30 feet into the air, smoke billowing across Franklin Road and fire burning several bushes next to two cars and a van, Bradbury said. A crew from Roanoke and the Roanoke County crew from Clearbrook had the fire extinguished within a few minutes.

She said the cars' grills melted and the headlights shattered from the heat, and estimated the total damage at about $3,500.

Bradbury said investigators believe the fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette.

-- Neil Harvey