POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Firefighters have extinguished a fire that erupted at an auto repair shop in Pompano Beach.
The fire broke out at Mario & Son’s Tire & Auto Repair, located at 101 SW 5th St., overnight, early Friday.
Crews responded to the scene and put out the fire quickly, as it was located near the fire station.
“They were able to do a quick knockdown, put the fire out very quick,” said Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Steve Hudson.
“It was shocking news for me because it’s my only source of living right here,” said business owner Mario Natour, “and we feed eight people’s families out of this location.”
Rescue crews said they found an unconscious dog when they arrived on the scene.
Natour said that’s Charlie, his guard dog.
“It was unconscious. We pulled it out, basically lifeless,” said Hudson. “A lot of our responders are trained in pet CPR, so we started administering oxygen, and the dog did come back without chest compressions.”
“We found the dog in there, brought it out.
Natour said he is grateful to the firefighters for not only saving his livelihood, but his dog.
“Honestly, there’s a lot of people who know Charlie more than they would know Mario,” said Natour. “Thank God he’s in stable condition. It’s very good. He’s doing great.”
“We were able to revive it, and the dog, basically, woke up and started walking off,” said Hudson. “We took him up to Coral Springs Animal Hospital for treatment.”
Officials said the fire broke out in the back of the building.
“Well, thank God, everything is OK. Nobody got hurt,” said Natour. “That’s the most important [part], as far as I’m concerned.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“My customers’ cars are OK; they have little smoke damage,” said Natour.
The city has deemed the building unsafe. No other structures were damaged in the fire.
“We’re asking all the people to pray for us and wish us the best of luck,” said Natour.
He said the shop will be closed for some time while repairs are made.
“We’ll be back in business, hopefully, within two to three weeks, as soon as we get the structure back together,” he said.
Natour did not have insurance and has since set up a GoFundMe. If you would like to help, click here.
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