JULY 1, 2015
AIKEN, SC (WFXG) -
"All of a sudden, we heard my dad yell, 'Help!'" said Lanz Ash. His father owns Eiland Paint and Body Shop.
When Ash and a friend ran outside, they saw his dad's body shop engulfed in flames.
"We just have a lot of memories in this place," Ash said.
Memories the family will have to cherish now that everything is gone, including a loved ones ashes.
The Beech Island Fire Department received a call around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
By the time they arrived, nothing could be salvaged.
"It's a total lost, it's gone," said Calvin McCravy, the assistant chief of the Beech Island Fire Department.
He said flames shot up from the roof almost 15 feet high.
They had to take extra care while extinguishing the fire due to all of the different chemicals in the body shop.
"You can't just let anybody go in there. When we got here, we had stuff going off in there, blowing up," McCravy said.
Family gathered at the shop after receiving the news.
"I felt relieved. They're okay," said Sharon Lavallee, the owner's mother. "I still have them in my life."
The fire department has not determined a cause of the fire, however, they said they do not suspect any suspicious activity.