REEDLEY (KMJ) — It’s “business as usual” at Gar Tootelian, following a devastating weekend fire at the Reedley facility. The blaze left the shop area of the site charred and flattened.
Crews were called to the Fresno County intersection of Crawford and South Avenues Sunday, to find the flames taking hold.
“Right now the shop is completely imploded and gone. It is a complete loss,” explains the company’s Ralph Rendon. “What we’re doing now is we’re in the rebuilding phase. We are working on getting all that material cleaned out, cleared up, and start rebuilding as soon as we can.
“That shop is a very important part of our business. That’s where we repair equipment, do work on the trucks.”
The blaze impacted a total area of 20,000 square feet, which includes the 15,000 square foot shop space. The current damage estimate stands $2 million.
Fresno County Fire reported that the affected building contains fertilizer and other farming chemicals. The company has since revealed that no ag-chemicals were involved, but local government officials will now have to inspect the site to ensure it’s safe.
“We’re not sure how long that’s going to take. Hopefully it’ll be within a week and we can get moving forward. But once the building starts we’re hoping to get this thing up and going again within a few months.
“The biggest thing is going to be rebuilding that shop area. So hopefully while that’s going on we can get all the permits and that stuff cleared.”
Rendon estimates that it could take as long as six months to get the site to 100% again. The cause of the fire officially remains under investigation.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
