Neil Young warehouse fire started in car

Neil Young, pictured with record producer Daniel Lanois, says he will rebuild the LincVolt car

A fire at a warehouse owned by Neil Young started in a 1959 Lincoln Continental car he had converted into a hybrid vehicle, authorities have said.

Fire crews said they saved about 70% of contents in the San Francisco Bay area warehouse including cars, guitars and memorabilia in the 9 November blaze.

The fire caused damage estimated at $850,000 (£534,000) to his possessions.

Young said he was committed to rebuilding the damaged car which he converted to promote fuel efficiency.

No-one was injured in the fire which Young blamed on human error.

"The wall charging system was not completely tested and had never been left unattended," he said in a statement.

"A mistake was made - it was not the fault of the car."

Young had customised the car - dubbed the LincVolt - to run on batteries and a generator powered by bio-diesel.

The project was chronicled on the website LincVolt.com and in a four-part series of films.