A GoFundMe Account is Raising Money for Sandos & Smash Food Truck

Mother’s Day, May 11, was a record day of sales for Sandos & Smash since opening in Tumalo’s The Bite in February. Just hours after closing, the truck ignited around 10:30 pm, according to owner Andrew Vijarro.

“It’s a complete loss, unfortunately,” Vijarro said.

Bend Fire & Rescue and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident at The Bite, a food truck lot. In reviewing security footage recorded by The Bite, Vijarro said the flames had engulfed the truck by 12:30 am.

Responders extinguished the blaze, which appeared accidental. Authorities are conducting a fire investigation to understand its origin and cause. A GoFundMe account says the likely cause is believed to be an electrical issue from one of the lowboy coolers. No one was in the truck at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

Vijarro spent the morning of May 12 with the fire marshal, inspecting the wreckage. The fire was caused by neither grease nor propane, Vijarro said, adding that the marshal says one of the cooler fridges may have been faulty.

“The truck’s only three months old, so everything was brand new,” he said. “We took pride in all our trucks being as clean as we can possibly have them.”

Vijarro, along with partners Scott Rush Jake Mizee, also co-owns Pine Marten Pizza, which is parked at The Bite, and Rush’s Squares in Bend. Vijarro estimates truck and equipment damages between $60,000 to $70,000. No damage was caused to other food trucks, Vijarro said.

“It just seems to have been a freak accident,” he said, adding that he’s already received offers of loaner food trucks to get back on their feet by the end of the month. In the meantime, Sandos & Smash workers will be given shifts at the partners’ pizza trucks.

Last April, Sandos & Smash participated in the Source Weekly’s Burger Week, dishing up the Tumalo Burger — a double patty smash with Colby Jack cheese, jalapeño aioli, peppered bacon, crispy onions and barbecue sauce on a Big Ed’s Texas toast bun.

On May 11, the day of the fire, Sandos & Smash prepared a Mother’s Day-themed sandwich, The Mornin’ Mamma. The $15 breakfast sandwich featured a fried egg, white cheddar, garlic, mayonnaise, spinach and hollandaise sauce with a choice of candied bacon, avocado and tomato, or applewood smoked ham.

The next morning, May 12, Sandos & Smash posted on Instagram: “Our food truck dream had a little hiccup last night. Sandos & Smash burned down. We are heartbroken and figuring out the next steps and the cause of the fire. Rest assured we will be back and better than ever in no time! We appreciate your support.”

The GoFundMe account has a goal of raising $8,000. As of May 14, it was more than half way there. The money will go toward a new cart, cooking supplies, ingredients and permit/license fees that aren’t covered by insurance.