A GoFundMe page has been started for the family who owns the Midas auto shop downtown.
The shop was the scene of a fire Monday morning that injured Ray and Travis O’Neil.
“Ray and Patsy have been servicing North Bay for the last 12 years at the Midas Center at Main St E. and Fisher,” states Mackenzie Pollett, a family friend who started the GoFundMe page.
“Unfortunately a workplace accident that could have happened to anyone happened to them on February 22nd, 2021; engulfing their shop in flames, and leaving Ray and Patsy without a business and without the sufficient funds from insurance to retire,” the page description reads.
Ray, the father, is said to have suffered second-degree burns on his face.
“Unprepared for forced retirement, their daughter Jessica thought that the best thing we could do to help would be to make a GoFundMe to give them some financial stability during this unstable time,” Pollett stated.
The Monday morning fire took roughly an hour for fire crews to extinguish. At the scene, Patsy O’Neil, who was away from the shop at the time of the fire, said Travis and Ray were working on a gas pump.
A witness reported hearing multiple loud bangs coming from the auto shop before seeing Ray and Travis exit the building with their shirts off.
North Bay Fire and Emergency Services has not yet determined the cause of the fire.
The fundraiser’s goal is to raise $2,000 for the O’Neil family.
To donate, click here.
