Devastating Fire of Andy Lake Woodworks of Glyndon: Rise Above the Ashes

It was more than a shed that burned down in Saturdays fire

GYLNDON, Minn. — Andy Lake Woodworks in Glyndon is cleaning up after a fire destroyed three log sheds and a shop over the weekend.

It’s not just buildings that were burned.

Countless hours of an artist’s work are now gone.

You’ve probably driven by Andy Lake Woodworks on Highway 10 in Minnesota.

“Sales were picking up,” said Scott Petry, a chainsaw carver and co-owner of Andy Lake Woodworks. “It was kind of like that first. It felt like the real summer day.”

Scott Petry said everything was going great on Saturday until about 1 p.m. when a customer noticed fire coming from one of the sheds.

“Before you know it, the next 30–40 minutes, I guess, is just history,” said Scott.

The rest, he calls a blur.

“That’s gone, the log pile is generally toast, then I watch all my tools and all these orders people were waiting for, this week,” said Scott.

The family behind the business is keeping their heads up.

They’re planning on tearing down everything that’s damaged in the next few weeks.

“We have a day of disappointment, a day of heartache, a day of why and then we ended that,” said Greg Petry, who is Scott’s father and co-owner of the business.

The damaged sheds and shop were not insured.

Scott said he’s been going through and picking up what he can.

Saving pieces of tools can cost more than you might think.

These business owners say they are planning on rebuilding bigger and better than ever and they aren’t alone in the process.

“Adversity happens, it happens to all of us, it’s how you handle it,” said Greg.

Support from the community has already poured in.

Customers are buying items and paying more than what’s on the price tag.

“It makes it that much easier for me to sit here and smile and kind of make jokes,” Scott said.

The family said it’s not a real problem if money can solve it.

The business can go on and everyone is okay.

“Rise above the ashes. Inspire other people. We’re not going to sit here and whine and cry about it wasn’t fair, what happened to us,” Greg said.

Next time you pass the shop, the owners hopes you remember this:

“We can influence other people’s lives, and they’re influencing us, and good things happen to good people,” said Greg.

Officials say that spontaneous combustion of wood finishing chemicals caused the fire.