EASTHAMPTON — Standing outside Full Tilt Auto Body & Collision on Ferry Street on May 22, watching as a raging fire spread to the roof and burned the building housing the business he owned with his brother to the ground, was a wrenching moment for Matt Ciaschini.
He and his brother Zac and their employees watched as firefighters from Easthampton and more than a half-dozen other communities fought to control the blaze that was consuming the building where they’d built their award-winning business.
“It was 12 people hanging around hugging each other when we’re not supposed to be,” Ciaschini said.
Now the brothers are trying to rebuild their business, and they are hoping to stay in the city.
“Trying to stay in Easthampton is a focus for us,” Matt said. “They’ve been an amazingly supportive community.”
According to the Easthampton Fire Department, the five-alarm fire at 69 Ferry St. caused $1.5 million to $1.7 million in damage. Although its cause is still under investigation, the department said it is not considered suspicious.
Both brothers were at the business when the fire broke out. Zac Ciaschini said it appeared to have started in the air makeup unit in the painting booth, and that he tried to attack it with a fire extinguisher. However, he was unable to get the unit open, and he described trying to fight the fire as akin to trying to spray a fire extinguisher into a closed oven.
“It was probably 500 degrees just around that area,” Zac said.
As the building filled with smoke, and the fire extinguisher ran out, the decision was made to leave.
“The first reaction was get out, get everybody safe,” said Matt, who was in a different part of the building when the fire started. “Stuff is stuff.”
The fire rapidly spread from the booth to the building’s roof, causing the structure’s total loss.
For their next move, the brothers are looking to either relocate or find a temporary site. Matt said the overwhelming number of their customers who had work scheduled with them said they’d wait until Full Tilt reopens.
As for when that would be, Matt said it’s a question of insurance. “At the end of the day, this could take a long time,” he said.
The building where their business was housed was owned by October Properties. Matt said that, should they find an opportunity outside of Easthampton, he hopes their Easthampton customers would follow them. However, he said their current plan is to move back into 69 Ferry St. when it is rebuilt.
Full Tilt has won multiple Best of the Valley awards from the Valley Advocate’s Reader’s Poll, and Matt said there’s been a lot of community support for the business in the wake of the fire. He noted that two GoFundMe accounts have been set up, one by their friend Chris Morin, who has also done public relations for the business, and another by the proprietors of All Season Clean Up & Landscaping, located across the street from Full Tilt’s former location. As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMes have raised $7,570 and $9,851, respectively.
All Season is also offering to take other donations, such as gift cards, for Full Tilt.
Separate from this, pet grooming business Fur’s-A-Flyin’ Pet Grooming and Day Camp, just next door to the burned-out building, donated all its grooming proceeds from its first week of business back open to Full Tilt along with donations the owners took on the Ciaschinis’ behalf. In total, they donated $4,567 from that first week.
“Brought Zac and I both to tears, honestly,” Matt said.
“They’re our neighbors and that’s what neighbors are supposed to do,” said Mary-Kate Murray, who co-owns the grooming business with her husband, Scott Murray. “Paying it forward.”
Fur’s-A-Flyin’ is still accepting donations for Full Tilt.
Full Tilt hasn’t laid off any of its 10 workers, Matt said, and all of them have committed to staying on.
“It’s like a family,” he said.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.