TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In just a few hours, flames destroyed what took decades to build for one Southeast side mechanic.
Last Thursday’s fire on the Southeast side off of E. Wyoming St. and S. Arcadia Ave. tore through Hector's Auto Body, leaving nothing but charred cars and heartbreak for the owner, Hector Lara, and his family. It was a family-run shop that had been in business for more than 20 years.
On the evening of May 24th, Lara says he smelled something burning while working with his brother and quickly noticed a fire in the neighboring lot coming closer to his shop.
“Traté de apagarlo y no, pues no había agua, jalé la manguera, no había agua y pues ya se vino, se vino más, se metió a la lumbre y salimos nosotros," dijo Lara.
“I tried to put it out and I couldn’t because there was no water, I pulled the hose and there was no water, and well, it kept coming and getting closer. And the fire got in and we got out," said Lara.
Lara called 911, and hours later, after the Rural Metro Fire Department (RMFD) contained the fire, only burned cars and softened tools were left.
“No pues para mi era toda mi vida aquí, para mi era, pues mi trabajo y pues era el esfuerzo mío que hacía para cada día todo," dijo Lara.
“Well, for me, it was my whole life here. For me, it was my job and my hard work that I did day after day," said Lara.
Lara expressed to me his sadness over watching his business burn down, as this was his life’s work.
“Pues me quedé no más viendo, o sea, pensando no más todo lo que estaba pasando y pues sí, sí me me dio mucha tristeza ver todo que se estaba quemando," dijo Lara. "Yo pensé que nomás era el mío, pero no, eran todos, ya venía la lumbre por el otro lado, que no me daba cuenta yo de que se estaba quemando todo otro lado primero.”
"Well, I just stood there watching, I mean, just thinking about everything that was happening, and yes, it did make me very sad to see everything burning," said Lara. "I thought it was just mine, but no, it was everyone. The fire was coming from the other side, and I didn't realize that everything else was burning first."
It's been just over a week since the fire, and Lara is looking for a way to move forward and find a new shop because he is the sole provider for his family.
“Con el favor de Dios todo vamos a salir adelante, buscar el apoyo. Tengo mucho el apoyo a la gente, todo moralmente y pues a ver, seguir adelante, seguir adelante, seguir buscarle por otro lado, ya sea aquí o sea en otro lado," dijo Lara.
“With the grace of god, we’ll all get through this and look for support. I have a lot of moral support from the people. We’ll keep going forward and look for another way, whether it’s here or somewhere else," said Lara.
Lara did not have insurance and estimates his damages at about $20,000 or more.
RMFD tells KGUN 9 the cause of the fire has not been determined.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
