TOWN OF TRENTON, Wis. — Chuck Hiller bought his first car 60 years ago, something he maintained, updated and refurbished until last Friday when 11 of his cars were destroyed in a fire.
"Everything is gone," he said. "Kind of sad! The one car I've had since 1966 when I was 21 years old."
He collects Thunderbirds, Galaxies and other early 60s Ford cars to reassemble to factory condition.
"It's not good," he said. "It's going to be worse when I have to go out there. I have not been out there yet."
He hasn't been able to walk over what remains of his prized possessions because one week later, it's still too painful.
"My concern now is how he's going to deal with it," Corinne Hiller said. "You know how much he loved it, how much time he spent out there for all those years and then—poof!"
Corinne is Chuck's wife, and she still can't believe it all burned down on Friday, January 23rd, at 9:45 pm. The retired couple woke up to a neighbor ringing their doorbell as their shed was already engulfed in flames. They said they are glad no one was hurt, and the fire department prevented the fire from spreading, battling it late into the evening and early Saturday morning in the bitter cold.
Chuck guesses that between the cars, vintage restored parts and the building, the damage cost could be up to $500.000.
"I had two nights where I couldn't sleep hardly at all," he said. "I kind of recovered that because I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to rebuild probably most of that building, but not all of it."
At 80 years old and a cancer survivor, he's okay with not continuing his hobby but still plans to have his son partially reconstruct the shed, an effort that gives him hope.
Hiller tells TMJ4 News that fire investigators are still looking into the official cause. Insurance companies were assessing damage at their shed on Thursday, but Hiller doesn't think cleanup will start until it gets warmer out.
He said they don't believe it was arson and that the cause was most likely a stove in the lower level of the two-story building.
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