Can not IMAGINE what it's like to see a business you have built up over nearly 2 decades go up in literal flames like that. So sorry to see all this but thankful no one was injured. Sharing this to our folks as well, hope to see you all back and better than ever in the coming months!
Balljoint here, the guy Rick made the 4" Aluminum Exhaust for my RX7. During the Tornados a little over a month ago a Tree crushed the RX7 and my house. I feel your pain, my RX7 that I've had since 2003 is crushed and totaled. I feel like hell thinking about it, it's not just losing a car, it's losing a part of yourself. I cannot imagine what you and your clients are going through. I'm sure you'll grow from this and be bigger then ever, just please don't be bitter, you all do great work and will be better one year from now. Best of luck, love you guys, and best of luck to you all!
Thanks for finishing/ tuning my car, it’s running great! Hope to see you guys up and running again soon. Hopefully we all learn something from this. Cheers
Does anyone remember how eary the quiet sky's were after sept 11...well that's how our road has felt since this fire, no more hearing of bad ass cars going by on test drives. I wish you guys nothing but the best and good luck on the rebuild
Definitely feel for you guys. The information is really helpful and I look forward to seeing how you guys come out the other side. As you know, if you need anything we are here to help.
I hope you rebuild the shop. My Ted got donk thier year's ago. It's still running hard. His camaro thier now. It made it through the fire. I can't wait to see how fast you make it. He won't let nobody work on his cars but you Chuck.
So sorry to hear guys. Glad no one was hurt, of course, but what a loss. It's not much but when you're back up and running, if you want, I'll bring my old ECU for you to download. It's just an LS3 with the BTR stage 2 cam, 3000 stall converter. But, it was your work and it would be one tune file back.
Fellas... very sad to see. Couldn't even imagine the feeling you guys have. Keep your heads up. Will be watching all of your videos and liking. Good luck on your rebuild.
Glad there was no loss of life or injury. Hopefully you guys will rebuild better than before. It is so sad to loose everything in a fire which is everyone's fear. Best of luck to you guys in rebuilding.
It’s really sad to see your life go up in flames like that. As you said many times during this video, it’s very fortunate that nobody was injured in the fire or while battling the fire. It seems so many others have asked the questions I had come to mind except one. With all the years you’ve been doing this, all the hard work, the blood sweat and tears, the education you’ve gained and used as technology changes, how do you make these videos while keeping your emotions in check. I can only imagine how stressful and painful it must be to walk into your life blood and see it in that condition. I would certainly hope that you’re taking care of yourselves while you go through this and deal with the challenges you now face as you rebuild. I look forward to see what becomes of Big 3 in the coming year or so as you rebuild. Best of luck guys; my thoughts and prayers are with you.
absolutely heartbreaking to see. 18yrs is a lot of memories and feeling of ones home away from home. im just glad you guys arent alone in rebuilding all that. make yall stronger in the end
Whelp, you said ask questions in the comments so here goes.. so sorry this happened! What started the fire? Was there anyone in the building when it started? Were there any fire extinguishers in the building? Did the building have a fire suppression system/sprinkler system of any kind? Are you going to rebuild in this same location or are you looking elsewhere?
I rode bikes with Ricky back in the day. This saddens my heart to see how far he made it and for something like this to happen. Hope everything works out, and I wish I could help somehow. Thank you all for putting this kind of information out there. These are the times you want to know what needs to be done. Best wishes to all of you at B3❤😢
As a fellow mechanic /car builder im sorry for your loss glad everyones ok material thing can be replaced. I went through the same a house/shop burned down my dog woke me up in time. Lost everything almost 10 years ago. Still goin strong my shop is a ton smaller but i keep truckin along. Keep your head up it will get better !!!!
That’s crazy I seen this when I was riding by hope your guys bounce back that’s a ruff one man losing everything you worked so hard for praying for ya brother
You have my sympathy. I went through a shop fire. Not as bad as yours, but there is no good fire. Our fire was in the attic area. The firemen pulled the ceiling down. Blow in insulation covered everything in the shop. Like 8 or 9 inches. Everything was wet. Then it froze. In the teens for days. It was miserable sifting through that stuff in cold. No electric or gas for months. Permits, inspections, headaches just to get the basics back. Yes, I truly feel some of your pain. Then I had a stove at home catch fire. That was 40 years after the shop fire. The house was a total loss. I still occasionally think, "I should have one of those somewhere ", only to remember, no it was lost in the fire. The shop got some rafters and ceiling Joyce's scabbed, a new ceiling, lights, wiring and insulation. It took my Dad and I two weeks to sift through the insulation and ceiling material to uncover and move our shop while we rebuilt. Good luck with the rebuild. Make that insurance company pay.
I missed the detail about how the fire started. Is it still under investigation? I guess the fire suppression system failed too? The sprinkler lines melted right off the ceiling. Because I didn't see any up there. I didn't even see any fire extinguisher canisters around either. But I imagine everyone grabbed all of them and fought a running battle with the blaze as the situation unfolded.
I am so sorry!! Insurance will replace the material stuff. Hopefully, none of you lost anything irreplaceable. Glad you all are safe and can race another day. Wonder what caused the fire? Wiring, sparks from welder,grinder, fuel spill, greasy/oily towels?
Mad respect for you guys, I had a dyno session scheduled on Wednesday the week after this and I remember getting the phone call stating this happened and even after sll this, i was offered remote tuning as an option, i declined because i was sure theres alot more important things that needed handled then my toy. I hope everything ends up coming back better for you guys. 👍
Look into fire doors! This will help save some things and /or contain the fire to one area. Fire suppression systems should also be in the forefront going forward. It bothered me to see people lose so much as a ffemt, and that still bothers me to this day. The biggest silver lining here is nobody got hurt or killed. I'll take that win.
@1pcfred doubtful. I'm sure snap on has extinguishers, but a full on suppression system for a building, nah. Fire suppression companies do exist for this reason alone. It's not just a shop thing, it's a business and home thing. You can buy an extinguisher from just about anywhere, just buying the right one is the trick and dependent upon price. Cheaper isn't better. That being said, my job uses ptacek & sons for extinguishers and fire system. They seem good and reasonably priced. Something worth looking into. Honestly, Ohio fire protection laws baffle me. Every shop I've worked in had either outdated equipment, or very little to none. Warehouse? Mandated to check systems and extinguishers once a month, there's a minimum amount of extinguishers mandated by law, warehouses have to have a suppression system... pa was so different in that aspect.
@@laurar7087 I am not into legal mandates. Forcing people to do this or that. At the same time I do wonder how having an adequate fire suppression system would have changed things here. They appeared so heavily invested in everything else. So it appears to be one of those it'll never happen to me cases going on. Which I can definitely relate to. Live and learn I suppose.
I used to work in Data Recovery for a local company here in Ohio... Biggest thing I learned is 3 points of back up. 1.) Local, 2.) Local but unplugged and off site (i keep a drive at my parents house for example) and 3.) Cloud Sucks this happened man. Hope to see you rebuild!
To answer that we had a separate policy on them so yes they are all covered. Most businesses do not have coverage on employee tools. If you are mechanic I woukd ask management. If they do not there are policies you can buy on your home owners or renters insurance to protect your tools.
Can not IMAGINE what it's like to see a business you have built up over nearly 2 decades go up in literal flames like that. So sorry to see all this but thankful no one was injured. Sharing this to our folks as well, hope to see you all back and better than ever in the coming months!
Balljoint here, the guy Rick made the 4" Aluminum Exhaust for my RX7. During the Tornados a little over a month ago a Tree crushed the RX7 and my house. I feel your pain, my RX7 that I've had since 2003 is crushed and totaled. I feel like hell thinking about it, it's not just losing a car, it's losing a part of yourself. I cannot imagine what you and your clients are going through. I'm sure you'll grow from this and be bigger then ever, just please don't be bitter, you all do great work and will be better one year from now.
Best of luck, love you guys, and best of luck to you all!
Thanks for finishing/ tuning my car, it’s running great! Hope to see you guys up and running again soon. Hopefully we all learn something from this.
Cheers
Does anyone remember how eary the quiet sky's were after sept 11...well that's how our road has felt since this fire, no more hearing of bad ass cars going by on test drives. I wish you guys nothing but the best and good luck on the rebuild
You guy will be back bigger and better. You guys do great work and the community appreciate what you guys do. -Customer for life here
I’m so glad that no one was hurt, thank you to the first responders. I’m glad you had insurance, not a lot of companies cover all that
Definitely feel for you guys. The information is really helpful and I look forward to seeing how you guys come out the other side. As you know, if you need anything we are here to help.
really sucks to see. but really glad that you are willing to share so we all can learn. Thanks you
So tragic just good to hear no one was injured. hopefully it don't take to long to get it back going again.
I hope you rebuild the shop. My Ted got donk thier year's ago. It's still running hard. His camaro thier now. It made it through the fire. I can't wait to see how fast you make it. He won't let nobody work on his cars but you Chuck.
Everyone's ok that's what matters materialistic that doesn't matter, glad you guys are okay
Customer for life here! I'll follow wherever you go. You guys are the best!
So sorry to hear guys. Glad no one was hurt, of course, but what a loss. It's not much but when you're back up and running, if you want, I'll bring my old ECU for you to download. It's just an LS3 with the BTR stage 2 cam, 3000 stall converter. But, it was your work and it would be one tune file back.
Holy crap, I just heard about this! So sorry. Rick, you helped me out a bunch!
I knew this video was coming and it still broke my heart to see this. God Bless you guys and I pray the insurance companies will have compassion.
Fellas... very sad to see. Couldn't even imagine the feeling you guys have. Keep your heads up. Will be watching all of your videos and liking. Good luck on your rebuild.
Glad there was no loss of life or injury. Hopefully you guys will rebuild better than before. It is so sad to loose everything in a fire which is everyone's fear. Best of luck to you guys in rebuilding.
It’s really sad to see your life go up in flames like that. As you said many times during this video, it’s very fortunate that nobody was injured in the fire or while battling the fire. It seems so many others have asked the questions I had come to mind except one. With all the years you’ve been doing this, all the hard work, the blood sweat and tears, the education you’ve gained and used as technology changes, how do you make these videos while keeping your emotions in check. I can only imagine how stressful and painful it must be to walk into your life blood and see it in that condition. I would certainly hope that you’re taking care of yourselves while you go through this and deal with the challenges you now face as you rebuild. I look forward to see what becomes of Big 3 in the coming year or so as you rebuild. Best of luck guys; my thoughts and prayers are with you.
absolutely heartbreaking to see. 18yrs is a lot of memories and feeling of ones home away from home. im just glad you guys arent alone in rebuilding all that. make yall stronger in the end
I am so sorry to see this guys. I’m just glad you are all ok. Prayers for you all.
Whelp, you said ask questions in the comments so here goes.. so sorry this happened! What started the fire? Was there anyone in the building when it started? Were there any fire extinguishers in the building? Did the building have a fire suppression system/sprinkler system of any kind? Are you going to rebuild in this same location or are you looking elsewhere?
Going to make another video answering questions
I rode bikes with Ricky back in the day. This saddens my heart to see how far he made it and for something like this to happen. Hope everything works out, and I wish I could help somehow. Thank you all for putting this kind of information out there. These are the times you want to know what needs to be done. Best wishes to all of you at B3❤😢
As a fellow mechanic /car builder im sorry for your loss glad everyones ok material thing can be replaced. I went through the same a house/shop burned down my dog woke me up in time. Lost everything almost 10 years ago. Still goin strong my shop is a ton smaller but i keep truckin along. Keep your head up it will get better !!!!
Hate to see this happen to some genuinely good people. Excited to see the rebirth.
So no water sprinklers
This was very cool for you guys to film and put out there for others to learn from.
So sorry Chuck.
Wow and I just called you all about getting some more work done. Major comeback coming
That sucks a big one. So sorry for your loss.
Aww mam . Damn this is heart breaking . Praying for yall.
hoping for a quick recovery guys!!!!! my thoughts are with yall
You guys did two cars for me (GTO and CTSV). Hope you guys build back better. Thats truly tragic and im glad nobody got hurt.
I'm sorry for your loss! I can't even imagine what you are going through.
That’s crazy I seen this when I was riding by hope your guys bounce back that’s a ruff one man losing everything you worked so hard for praying for ya brother
That's awful guys.... So sorry about your shop...
I’m proud to be a Big 3 customer. You’ll be back better than ever!
I am very sorry.
Just an idea here. Could you contact your customers and have them send you back a copy of the tune to put back in a database
I have reached out to a few. I did find a backup location in the cloud that has tunes through December 2023
You have my sympathy. I went through a shop fire. Not as bad as yours, but there is no good fire. Our fire was in the attic area. The firemen pulled the ceiling down. Blow in insulation covered everything in the shop. Like 8 or 9 inches. Everything was wet. Then it froze. In the teens for days. It was miserable sifting through that stuff in cold. No electric or gas for months. Permits, inspections, headaches just to get the basics back. Yes, I truly feel some of your pain. Then I had a stove at home catch fire. That was 40 years after the shop fire. The house was a total loss. I still occasionally think, "I should have one of those somewhere ", only to remember, no it was lost in the fire. The shop got some rafters and ceiling Joyce's scabbed, a new ceiling, lights, wiring and insulation. It took my Dad and I two weeks to sift through the insulation and ceiling material to uncover and move our shop while we rebuilt. Good luck with the rebuild. Make that insurance company pay.
Was there some type of suppression system in the building?
I missed the detail about how the fire started. Is it still under investigation? I guess the fire suppression system failed too? The sprinkler lines melted right off the ceiling. Because I didn't see any up there. I didn't even see any fire extinguisher canisters around either. But I imagine everyone grabbed all of them and fought a running battle with the blaze as the situation unfolded.
I am so sorry!! Insurance will replace the material stuff. Hopefully, none of you lost anything irreplaceable. Glad you all are safe and can race another day. Wonder what caused the fire? Wiring, sparks from welder,grinder, fuel spill, greasy/oily towels?
Dang man sorry fir yall’s loss 😢😢
So what actually happened for the started? No fire suppression?
You guys got this
Any video of the office upfront? Or upstairs?
Sorry brother😪
Has any of the customers been paid yet? Because the insurance company keeps giving us the run around. I'll miss you Durango
Mad respect for you guys, I had a dyno session scheduled on Wednesday the week after this and I remember getting the phone call stating this happened and even after sll this, i was offered remote tuning as an option, i declined because i was sure theres alot more important things that needed handled then my toy.
I hope everything ends up coming back better for you guys. 👍
What caused the fire?
Look into fire doors! This will help save some things and /or contain the fire to one area. Fire suppression systems should also be in the forefront going forward. It bothered me to see people lose so much as a ffemt, and that still bothers me to this day. The biggest silver lining here is nobody got hurt or killed. I'll take that win.
Yeah I noticed a lack of a sprinkler system or even any fire extinguishers. Maybe if Snap-on sold that equipment more shops would have it?
@1pcfred doubtful. I'm sure snap on has extinguishers, but a full on suppression system for a building, nah. Fire suppression companies do exist for this reason alone. It's not just a shop thing, it's a business and home thing. You can buy an extinguisher from just about anywhere, just buying the right one is the trick and dependent upon price. Cheaper isn't better. That being said, my job uses ptacek & sons for extinguishers and fire system. They seem good and reasonably priced. Something worth looking into. Honestly, Ohio fire protection laws baffle me. Every shop I've worked in had either outdated equipment, or very little to none. Warehouse? Mandated to check systems and extinguishers once a month, there's a minimum amount of extinguishers mandated by law, warehouses have to have a suppression system... pa was so different in that aspect.
@@laurar7087 I am not into legal mandates. Forcing people to do this or that. At the same time I do wonder how having an adequate fire suppression system would have changed things here. They appeared so heavily invested in everything else. So it appears to be one of those it'll never happen to me cases going on. Which I can definitely relate to. Live and learn I suppose.
I used to work in Data Recovery for a local company here in Ohio... Biggest thing I learned is 3 points of back up. 1.) Local, 2.) Local but unplugged and off site (i keep a drive at my parents house for example) and 3.) Cloud
Sucks this happened man. Hope to see you rebuild!
Build back better stronger
Any Ritter block parts that may can be saved im building one i would be interested in buying them sorry for your loss
Chuck and Ricky if you guys need anything let me or Jess know
So what actually started the fire?
yep, this sucks but it's only temporary ..........................
Oh no, damn , sorry guys
Oh no , I'm sorry did you get the cars out ?
sorry for your loss BIG AUSSIE hug my man fire retardent mite of helped
That's going to be a 7 figure claim, and then some.
Wild
Does your insurance cover your employees tools that they own also?
speculation, but I doubt it. Insurance wqill find a way to deny coverage for a lot of things. That is how they make money.
To answer that we had a separate policy on them so yes they are all covered. Most businesses do not have coverage on employee tools. If you are mechanic I woukd ask management. If they do not there are policies you can buy on your home owners or renters insurance to protect your tools.
Was the wagon in the shop? Especially since you just finished up Hot Rod Drag Week.
No, no shop cars were inside. This happened 2 months ago.
@@Big3Racing oh okay
As joe biden would say build back better.
It's just going to cost you 50% more now.