Nearly a year after a fire gutted a local Airdrie business, All Fitts Automotive Inc., better known simply as All Fitts Auto, is preparing to re-open its doors for business.
Brett Fitts, owner of All Fitts Auto, said the past year has been difficult.
"We fix things for a living [and] this was something that we couldn't fix; trying to stand back and watch other people try and get stuff done is hard."
The early morning blaze occurred on New Year's Day 2023. Mounties said they received reports of a structure fire located on 1 Street and Center Avenue and would later add that the fire was being investigated as an arson. The Airdrie Fire Department would later state that the damage costs totalled an approximated $2 million.
Fitts said that he had not found out about what happened to his business until the RCMP were at his front door.
"New Year's morning, unfortunately, we had our phone shut off because we were at a show the night before. So, it was the RCMP who were banging on our door that finally woke us up," he said. "We came running into town."
Despite losing a year's worth of business, Fitts said that the community has rallied around him, including other local businesses.
"Airdrie has turned into a big city, but you still have that small-town feel. We had a bunch of shops willing to help us out with anything that we needed to get going," Fitts said. "I also wanted to thank all my customers for their dedication and patience in waiting for us to reopen."
With the year drawing to a close, Fitts is hoping that 2024 means a new beginning for his business which has been undergoing major repairs. The business has been eagerly updating customers on its progress toward re-opening on social media.
"We're coming pretty close. It's a matter of kind of tying up all the loose ends. We've got most of the big stuff out of the way. Once they're done in my office, we need to get the hoists and doors to get back up and operational."
Fitts estimated that the business will be re-opening in early January 2024.
Airdrie RCMP was unavailable for comment on any updates in the arson investigation at the time of publication.
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