SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Organizers of a collector-car auction in north Scottsdale worked to assess damages Friday after an 800-foot-long tent blew onto a nearby freeway, snarling traffic and leaving hundreds of valuable vehicles uncovered in a pounding rainstorm.

Heavy tent poles hit some cars and rain pelted uncovered convertibles at the Russo-Steele Auto Auction. A collector-car insurance executive estimated that damages could be more than $1.5 million.

Russo and Steele said owners would not be allowed to inspect their cars until at least Saturday morning because the Scottsdale fire marshal has not declared the auction site safe.

Drew and Josephine Alcazar, Russo and Steele owners, hoped to resume the auction Saturday, but there was still a lot of cleanup to do.

___

Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.