Second arson fire devastates Los Angeles family-owned tire shop
LOS ANGELES - It was just after 3 a.m. Thursday when a massive fire tore through Vermont Tires. The intense flames and thick black smoke swirling upward was made worse by the burning tires. When tires catch fire, they release toxic pollutants into the air. This fire is under investigation for arson.
The shop's owner, Mirca Garcia, is exhausted.
"My reaction to the fire was very heartbreaking to me. Seeing the tire shop in the conditions today broke my heart," she told FOX 11 over the phone.
This is the second fire for her family’s business in just a few weeks. LAPD today confirmed the first fire was Arson. Two men were caught on surveillance video.
"They basically arrived at 5 a.m. on August 2," said Garcia.
The video from that fire shows two men on bicycles throwing what looked like a towel into the business and within seconds flames erupted and spread.
"Our tire and inventory got burned. Our machines got burned and it extended to our next-door neighbors and they lost two cars – customers cars – that was over $20,000 and ruined the customers cars," Garcia said.
When we first talked with her, Garcia told us, "It hurts a lot because my mom passed away and this was something special for my mom and dad. They built that tire shop together."
"We've been part of the South Central community for over 25 years. We are a small family-owned business. In addition, our next-door neighbor has been impacted by the arson attack as well. There are severe losses and damages," she said.
GoFundMe pages have since been launched for the family. Below are the links to help the family: