A group of firefighters guide a water hose to put out the blaze. (Victor Texcucano)

A nearly 60-year-old Tyler business was destroyed in a fire tonight.

Tyler fire crews were called to Moose Auto Glass, 4220 Timms St., at 7:11 p.m. The building full of fire when the first crews arrived, and extra engines were called to the scene.

Five engines and two ladder trucks worked to put out the blaze, and firefighters attacked it from the front and from the top with a ladder angled above the building. Smoke could be seen for miles, and an orange glow from the fire could be seen by traffic on Loop 323.

Wes Dobbs, son-in-law to the owner Eddy Moose, said the business was founded in 1954 in downtown Tyler and moved to its current site around 1990.

“Tyler has really supported these guys,” he said. “It’s sad to see something like this happen.”

Dobbs said the family rushed to the building after receiving phone calls from the alarm company and people from Mike Pile Mazda. One of them even got a speeding ticket on his way there, he said.

The family stood in a group, huddling together in the cold and periodically offering hugs to one another. They said the fire appeared to be in the office area where records and computers were kept.

Dobbs said the business was open Monday, but they had no idea what could have sparked the blaze.

As of 9:40 p.m., fire crews were still on scene.

A cause and the extent of the damage had not been determined. The cause is under investigation by the Tyler Fire Department.

Dobbs said the sight was heartbreaking, but the family would move on.

“They will pick up, rebuild and be thriving,” he said.