Employees picked through rubble of what used to be the Jaded Gypsy Tattoo parlor, trying to salvage what was left just one day after a massive fire next door destroyed most of their building.
The fire started at a vacant building that was once the Mississippi Cafe in the District of Rock Island. The Rock Island Fire (RICO) Department responded to the fire at approximately 4:10 a.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2014. Once crews arrived at the scene of the fire, they quickly realized there was no saving the vacant building, and went ahead with a controlled demolition to try to contain the fire.
Firemen had to also demolish part of the building that housed Jaded Gypsy Tattoo, destroying everything inside the tattoo parlor.
"A couple of our coworkers lost just about everything, and anyone who knows how much tattoo equipment is, it's not cheap," said Chelsea Soto, a tattoo artist who worked at Jaded Gypsy Tattoo. "We worked so hard on this place and then to see it all go up in smoke is pretty devastating."
Most of the tattoo artists from Jaded Gypsy had their own personal equipment inside the building when it was destroyed by the fire. Now they have to find work elsewhere without their tattoo equipment.
"We're all in the same boat so just trying to make do with what we have," Soto said.
The RICO Fire Department said there were no injuries and there is still no known cause for the fire.
A total of eight buildings were impacted in some way or another from the fire, including the vacant building, Jaded Gypsy Tattoo, Huckleberry's Pizza, and the apartments above the businesses. Owners of Huckleberry's Pizza have closed the restaurant for now, but hope to have it open again soon.
Roads that were blocked off on Saturday in the District are not re-opened to the public.