Auto shop fire in North Naples impacts nearby businesses

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – New video shows the damage fire did to a auto repair shop in North Naples on Monday.

WINK News has learned the fire caused more than just the repair shop to close.

Quima’s Auto Repair went up in flames within minutes. A man who owns a business nearby shot cell phone video of it after he heard three explosions.

In the video, you can see think black smoke that billowed out of the garage and intense flames burned through the roof.

Witnesses said the owner and his worker barely made it out. They were working on a car inside the garage when the fire ignited.

The owner of Quima’s has owned the shop for 12 years. He tells WINK News the car came to his shop from another one and that one of his workers was removing gas from the car when the fire started.

“I heard quite a big boom and guys came in and said you have to get out of the building because there’s a big fire.” Olga Schulz is the owner of Wicked Wicker. Her business is in the front of the building.

“We cannot even run the store until everything is going to be restored, we don’t have power,” said Schulz.

She says her power goes through the unit where the fire happened. Schulz tells WINK News the wires were so badly burned, it knocked out her electricity.

“The electrician that was here he said everything will go through insurance and it’s probably going to take a couple weeks,” said Schulz.

Schulz says she’ll have to work away from the office, but the Wicked Wicker is still open for business.

Even though the fire is believed to have started in the car in the garage. Fire investigators are still trying to determine exactly what caused it.

The auto shop owner says he hopes to open again soon.