One of southern Ontario’s best-known offroad motorcycle dealerships had a disastrous fire last weekend, but in the aftermath, friends are helping the rebuilding get started.
On Thursday, October 22, Lang’s Off Road (in Dorchester, near London) was hit by fire. On social media, dealership staff said “We’re heartbroken. Last night there was a fire in the building Lang’s operates out of. Nearly everything is gone. The showroom is burnt out, and most of the shop is damaged. It’s hard to even recognize our workspace today.” Photos taken after the fire show a sad story, with the business itself a wreck, and several motorcycles and lots of other merchandise burned.
Authorities told Global News they estimated there was more than a million dollars in damage, and they’re investigating the fire, as it’s deemed suspicious.
Lang’s plans to return to business, but it won’t be easy. With that in mind, friends of the dealership and staff have started a GoFundMe for Lang’s, to help owners and staff make it through the days ahead. Here’s what Arther Ash, who started the crowdraising effort, had to say:
“Over the years Rob Lang has done a lot to help the off road riding community in Ontario and nationally. Lang’s has help many folks get things fixed at the last minute to save a trip, Rob has sponsored riders for various race series, Rob has helped host countless Beagle Bash trail rides, Lang’s has raced to get parts for a lot of us sothat we didn’t miss events and Rob has been a great friend to many of for a long time.
Well folks time for us to help him out. He is going to need time to rebuild and being self employed he is going to need money to help him pay bills and stay afloat during this hard time.
Let’s show our friend some support and get him and his business through this.”
Originally, the plan was to raise $10,000 to help out, but organizers have managed to eclipse that mark already. No doubt everyone who worked at the dealership is very appreciative, but there’s also no doubt they could still use more help, as insurance payouts are no fun to deal with. For more details, visit the GoFundMe page.
It’s worth noting this is the third major motorcycle dealership fire in the London area since 2017. Hully Gully had a very spectacular fire in 2017, causing between $2 million and $3 million in damage, and sending a firefighter to hospital. In April of 2019, Hog Town Cycles in Lucan burned down as well, causing a reported $1.4 million in damage.
