ELDERSBURG, Md. — This image from the Sykesville Freedom District Fire Department shows the magnitude of the fire at Aldinger Signs and Murals---a fire, which greeted Owner Philip Aldinger as he arrived at work.
“I came in this morning and smoke was engulfed in the shop and my two cats got killed,” said Aldinger, “It was a humidifier that was faulty and it was supposed to go off.”
Aldinger attempted to douse the fire with a garden hose, but by the time the first engines arrived on scene, flames had already spread throughout the interior of the structure.
“Upon their arrival, they discovered a small building attached to another business with extensive smoke showing. Firefighters were able to control the fire within 25 minutes. At this time, the state fire marshal has it currently under investigation,” said Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.
Aldinger had spent the last decade in this location, single-handedly building up his business only to see it destroyed in a matter of minutes.
“I’m going to try to continue. I lost all my equipment, and I’ll see if the insurance will cover that. I don’t know yet, and I’m going to try to continue as hard as it’s going to be,” said Aldinger, “I was struggling already, and this on top of everything, it’s devastating.”
