Abo's Pizza and local businesses still reeling one week after fire

Abo's Pizza and nearby businesses are still recovering from the Aug. 6 fire that started in the early hours at Abo's. Fire investigator Doug Saba explained that fire personnel forced entry into Abo's Pizza to confirm the building did not have any victims. Thankfully, due to Mary Jo Wysocki's quick call to 911 upon arriving to open Winot Coffee on Aug.10th at 5:30 a.m., the damage to area businesses wasn't worse.

As of press time, no official cause has been determined, and the fire investigation is still ongoing. This is a typical procedure and does not indicate anything troublesome.

"Fire is very complex, and it can take weeks or months for the cause to be diagnosed," explained Tanya Crews from All Phase Restoration. "The challenge for Abo's is that mitigation and cleanup can't begin until the case is closed and the scene released."

While no other neighboring business is impacted to the degree faced by Jeff Riegel, owner of Abo's, those in close proximity face challenges to their day-to-day operations as a result of the fire.

Chico's Grooming Spa owner Wendy Mariscal shares walls with Abo's and has been operating fans and HEPA filters in her space for the past week. One of the shared walls is in Mariscal's grooming room, and in addition to several days of closures, she's still operating with extreme caution for the safety of her two- and four-footed customers.

Immediately following the fire, Blessings Day Spa owner Julie Stenz and area businesses established a Go Fund Me page (https://gofund.me/b8403f46) to help Riegel start the process of rebuilding, address any immediate employee needs, and meet insurance deductibles. At the same time, Stenz's business is still closed due to the fire and smoke.

"I've consulted an air quality specialist, did a deep clean, and had both a building inspector and All Phase Restoration out," Stenz confided. "All Phase will return Monday. This is a wellness spa where people come to relax and be pampered. It is a five-sensory experience. I wanted to go through all efforts possible to make sure that when my guests return, there's nothing that would compromise their experience. We've learned so much through this process."

Stenz is relieved to have good insurance coverage for these circumstances.

"Landlords usually require tenants to carry two million [dollars] in liability [insurance], but those aren't the claims a business owner is most likely to have," explained Yule Peterson of Farmers Insurance in Niwot. "Claims typically come from day-to-day operations, so you want to make sure you're covered in case of fire, water, smoke, cleanup/restoration and business interruption."

Stenz plans to reopen Aug. 16. She is currently installing air quality monitors in the spa.