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MURRAY — A man who has spent most of his career helping others finds himself in need after his auto repair business of 15 years was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night.
Hyun "Michael" Khang’s automotive shop went up in flames around 7 p.m., while he was working on a jeep.
The fire forced Khang out, but he went back in for his laptop, which contained all of his business contacts.
"I've never seen something like that in real life," said Khang’s son Dan Khang said. “I'm really surprised my dad survived from that.”
During the commotion, Khang passed out and was pulled to safety by a passerby. He suffered a second-degree burn on his forehead and smoke inhalation.
“Him being safe is the most important thing for us. It will take some time for him to get better, to get over this," Dan Khang said.
"He's done so much for our family, and I have huge respect for him,” Jeesoo Davies, Khang’s daughter said.
Khang came to the U.S. from South Korea to build a better life for his family.
"He was doing really well for the last 15 years and he was finally happy, and all of a sudden last night everything changed,” Jeesoo said.
His children said Khang regularly helped people in Utah's Korean community with their cars, especially if they were struggling.
"When somebody needs help, he's always there to help them out," Jeesoo said.
Even before he left the hospital last night, Khang was making plans to rebuild.
"He was thinking about how he would pay this off, and start this new business again," Jeesoo noted.
Because insurance won’t cover all of the damage, family and friends have set up a GoFundMe account* online to help Khang rebuild his buisness.
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
