In addition to the volunteer firefighters from six companies who responded just before noon Jan. 7 to a devastating two-alarm blaze at a North Whitehall Township automotive repair building, three individuals, including a Whitehall Township business owner, have come to the assistance of the shop owner.

Jesse Probus, owner of Sick Ink Studios, on Schadt Avenue; Dr. David Roy, owner of North Whitehall Chiropractic; and Josh Haines, owner of Back Home Bagels Deli and Bake Shop in Schnecksville, met Jan. 9 at the Willow Street Pub, North Whitehall, to recount the heroic efforts made to help Beau Drobot save his belongings and automotive shop.

Probus, of Walnutport, was at the traffic light at Willow Street and Mauch Chunk Road after eating at Grumpy’s Bar-B-Que Roadhouse, South Whitehall, he said, when he noticed smoke coming from the automotive shop, located at 3221 Mauch Chunk Road.

“I ran the red light, pulled into the parking lot and knocked on the door, but nobody answered,” Probus said. “The first thing that went through my mind was somebody had passed out holding a cigarette. So I kicked in the door. Flames and smoke immediately started pouring out of the building.

“I honestly thought somebody was on the couch because, if you look in the video I took, there is a sweatshirt on the couch, but nobody was in there,” he said. “I ran around and tried the other doors. I couldn’t get any of the other doors open, so I started looking for a hose.”

Probus decided to start taking items out of the building.

That is when Drobot arrived.

Drobot, of Germansville, grabbed a box of personal memorabilia from the office, as well as pictures off the wall of him and his dad, who had a heart attack at a racetrack and died in 2006.

“When we got that box, stuff was already falling from the ceiling down on us,” Drobot said. “The wall was already in flames.”

Roy got to the fire scene just a few minutes after Drobot.

“I could tell he was in shock,” Roy said. “I looked at him and said, ‘Beau, what do you need to get out of there? Is there anything that is important enough?’

“He said, ‘Yes, my toolbox.’ So me, Jesse and Beau went in there to get his toolbox.

“The three of us were trying frantically, and as hard as we could, but we could not move that thing at all.”

When Drobot, Probus and Roy went into the garage to retrieve Drobot’s toolbox, they couldn’t see.

“When we went into the actual garage bay, there was this crazy thick smoke coming out,” Probus said.

“You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, but I knew my way through my shop, and I knew where my toolbox was. That was all I wanted,” Drobot said. “Jesse came in behind me and said, ‘Whatever you need, brother,’ so we went in.

“He had his hand on my shoulder,” Drobot said. “When we got to my toolbox and looked straight ahead up toward the office area, all you could see was this orange ominous flaming cloud — something I never want to see again.”

The trio managed to get the toolbox out after chaining it to a truck and dragging it from the garage.

Haines learned about the fire after his cousin saw Probus’ video of the fire on Facebook and called him.

As firefighters were battling the blaze, Probus was transported by ambulance to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Probus noted he did not know Drobot before the fire. Drobot did tell him, however, he had been tattooed at Probus’ tattoo shop in Whitehall.

“So many people have reached out to me and thanked me,” Probus said. “I really don’t feel I need thanks. I feel like people should help each other more. I would hope if I was ever in a situation like that, people would help me.”

“It is devastating. Yes, I have my wife, Alison, and my kid, Lillyann, and my dog, but everything I worked so hard for is gone. Everything I owned was in there. I don’t have anything.”

Drobot usually leaves his dog at the shop if he knows he will be coming back, but he took him home the night before.

“I will be back on my feet. It isn’t going to keep me down,” Drobot said. “There will be a Drobot Automotive again.”