SoDo fire destroys Iraqi immigrant's business

SEATTLE — The owner of a SODO business destroyed by a fire on the Fourth of July is an immigrant from Iraq who says his citizenship papers burned in the fire.

Ubaida Mufrej, 35, fled to the U.S. after helping U.S. Forces in Iraq.  When he and a friend couldn't find work in Seattle, they decided to start their own business.

They opened Safari Exports LLC and began exporting auto parts to Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. They've been located in the 3600 block of East Marginal Way S for eight years.

Mufrej  left work on Wednesday just before 6 p.m. to celebrate the holiday with his business partner.

He soon got a call from the owner of the building, telling him his business was on fire.

"It's bad, it's bad. It breaks my heart," said Mufrej on Thursday walking through the damaged business, "This is my baby. I built it up from zero."

He thinks the fire started inside the warehouse where his office and a kitchen were located. He thinks it spread outside to the cars.  He had several cars parked outside that he was waiting for customers to pick up. He runs a small car dealership on the property.

A huge rack of parts all wrapped up and ready to ship were destroyed in the flames.

According to Mufrej, the vehicles he takes apart to salvage parts are first drained of gas and oil.  The hazardous and flammable material is kept in an outbuilding. He showed KIRO 7 the tanks. They did not get damaged in the fire.

The outbuilding also housed a bunch of salvaged parts he was preparing to package and put in a container to ship overseas. They also survived the fire.

"This will help me out getting some money back, so you can work, I can work on it," said Mufrej.

But he said the problem is all of the paperwork and documentation for the business burned up in his office. He cannot ship parts without the necessary documentation.

Seattle Fire investigators were back at the warehouse on Thursday, working to determine how the fire started.

Ehrin Damitz owns The Bootstrap Music Company right next door.

"You can see here because of the firewall, and thanks to the quick action of the Seattle Fire Department, the building on this side is completely saved and the businesses saved.  On this side is complete destruction," said Damitz standing on the roof of his business, pointing out the firewall.

He has 35 music rooms local musicians can rent, and while there is some water damage, they didn't lose valuable instruments and equipment.

He is working with a restoration company to clean up the water.

Mufrej  says as soon as the fire department gives him the OK, he'll start the clean-up and begin to rebuild his business.

"We can do it, we can rebuild it. We can do it," said Mufrej.

Cox Media Group