VIDEO/PHOTOS: A North Las Vegas mechanic is asking for the community’s help after a fire burned down his custom lowrider shop that he’s owned for more than 20 years. Tommy Jones, owner of Avenue Motorsports, said the fire broke out during a customer’s engine test. Now, he’s meeting with insurance adjusters to try to recoup his life’s work. “There’s nothing in there salvageable. Nothing,” Jones said. “Not a screwdriver, not a hammer, not a tape measure.”
The tools Jones and other mechanics used cost tens of thousands of dollars. With them lost in the flames, setting up shop elsewhere is not a possibility. Regardless of the financial loss, Jones said the real damage goes beyond the shop. As a self-described troubled youth, Jones served time in prison. When he got out, a friend introduced him to cars and turned his life around. After picking up a wrench, Jones stayed off the streets.
