A New Kensington man is dealing with the aftermath of a fire that destroyed his garage.

Edward Chris Simak, who owns Wheel Deal Auto Sales, said he used the garage next to his home as a so-called man cave, allowing him to tinker on cars. A fire on Tuesday destroyed the garage. 

"It's just sad, sad, sad. I feel like I lost a loved one here," Simak said. "Just devastating."

He and his friends built the garage from the ground up. Tinkering with cars inside allows him to connect with his late father, an auto-repairman.

"He's the only reason why this garage is here today," said Darin Simak, Edward Chris Simak's son.

Lost in the fire were the tools Edward's father passed along to him.

"This garage means more to me than my house," Edward Chris Simak said. 

Edward Chris Simak said he spent $100,000 to build the garage. But he said it doesn't sound like his insurance company is willing to cover much of the damage. The company is fighting him, he said, saying he was using the garage for commercial purposes, which the New Kensington man disputes.

He said the insurance company is also claiming the garage does not fall under the insurance for the home, based on something his son's mother agreed to. They are not married, and her name is not on the insurance, he said.  

"It's always something different with the insurance company. It's not fair. I paid for all these years and thought I was covered for all my personal stuff and tools and contents in there, sentimental value," Edward Chris Simak said.

There was something left behind.

"Right after the fire department left and all the ashes were in that very left corner toward us, I found this picture," Darin Simak said, holding up a picture of his grandfather, charred on the sides. 

"That's the only picture my son found," Edward Chris Simak said. "This is so heart-wrenching that he found that picture, and it's the only thing that really made it."

KDKA reached out to the man's insurance company, Farmers of Marble, on Thursday, but did not hear back.