RELATED : Springfield sees increase in car fires, unclear if connected
Springfield Fire/Rescue Division Assistant Chief Brian Miller said the fire was intentionally set and is now under investigation.
Stephanie Aviles is a co-owner of the food truck and says this fire is a big loss to her family.
“It was awful. It was awful. We have four kids to feed and this is our only source of income. So, for this to happen, it’s kind of a big hit in the gut,” Aviles said.
They also lost sinks, refrigerators, freezers, grill, counter, tables, food, and a microwave in the fire.
“Probably about $40,000. I mean we’ve had it since 2012. So, we’ve slowly built, little by little, everything we’ve got … we put a lot of money into it,” Aviles said.
They’ve had the truck at this location for two months and have not had any problems, Aviles said.
“Our neighbor had someone, mess with, slash his tires on his truck,” Aviles said. She added that a second neighbor also had a van catch fire. She said they attributed the vandalism to a personal issue.
Aviles said they will try to rebuild but it will take a while because they will have to start from scratch.
“This has really messed with people’s lives, like I said we have, we have four kids we have to feed and that’s our only source of income,” Aviles said.
The city has been plagued by a rash of vehicle fires in recent months, but Miller said he could not say if there is any connection.
Over a 10-day period in October, seven car fires were reported to the Springfield Fire/Rescue Division, according to this publication.
The October fires were reported all over the city, including on South Linden Street, and North Bechtle and Linden avenues. Two were reported from the same property.
The city had several car fires in September with a total of 13 that month.
If you have information about the Los Amigos food truck, call the Springfield Fire/Rescue Division at 937-324-7615.
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