Fun F/X owner ponders the future following South Bend blaze
For the first time in about 30 years, there could be no Fun F/X store in the area after a devastating Friday afternoon fire that consumed
Though resilient, Cao knows he was underinsured and he doesn't know what the future holds.
"How much is it going to cost to remove the building?" he asked. "Will there be anything left?
"My insurance agent always urged me to get more insurance," he said. "But I never saw the possibility of this happening."
Cao stood Monday morning in the gravel parking lot of the old three-story brick building handling media questions along with
Because of those concerns, it might be impossible for inspectors to ever determine a cause for the blaze, which consumed the building and his inventory of costumes, magic tricks, make-up and more.
Cao said the burned-out building had 20,000 square feet on each floor, as well as a basement.
"We have to take our time because of the safety of our personnel," said
Cao said he was at his desk on the first floor when he heard what sounded like a "big wind storm" or even a tornado. He looked out a window, didn't see anything and was getting ready to look out a door when he saw smoke coming down from the second level.
"It was pretty well chocked full of smoke," said Cao, who shouted to a couple of his friends who were in the basement preparing for a movie shoot to get out of the building.
After fumbling with his phone for a moment, he was able to call 911 about
"I rate it as one of the top five worst fires I've seen during my 47-year career," said Rodriguez, adding that investigators will be on the scene on a daily basis to ensure there are no more flare-ups in the building.
On Saturday, firefighters returned to the scene to put more water on hot spots, and Rodriquez cautioned passersby to stay away from the structure, which could collapse.
Cao said he bought the warehouse building about 20 years ago and has spent considerable money upgrading the electricity and the heating and cooling system. He said it had a sprinkler system and he even had environmental tests to ensure there was nothing hazardous.
"It had to have started on the second or third floor, but I'm not sure what could have happened," he said.
Cao said he was going to turn a section of the building into a year-round store where customers could pick up costumes throughout the year while also operating a seasonal store in the
In recent years, Cao has been renting space in the same plaza as Strikes & Spares at
But now he has no idea what he's going to do. Though he's had offers of assistance from suppliers, he's not sure whether he'll be able to operate the store this year.
"I lost everything," he said. "Not just inventory, but the retail fixtures I've built up over the past 30 years."
For now, he can just wait on insurance adjusters to deliver his fate.
The building previously served as a
But because the old factory dates back to the turn of the 20th century, it also contained a lot of wood, rather than steel, making it particularly susceptible to fire, Rodriguez said.
"At first I was just relieved that no one was injured," Cao said. "I'm naturally chill, but I can feel the emotions churning inside. Maybe I'm still in shock."
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