Since it opened its doors in St. Paul nearly a decade ago, SKD Auto Tek was more than a car repair shop.
It provided a lifeline for its owner, Soe Doh, and his 15 fellow Karen refugees who worked there. It was a community hub of sorts for the members of the Karen community who resettled in the Twin Cities after escaping Myanmar, formerly Burma, from ethnic cleansing.
Now, after a devastating suspected arson destroyed Soe Doh’s business, the community is rallying around him in efforts to rebuild the shop.
Investigators believe the Jan. 11 fire at the business at 80 Cottage Av. W. may have been intentionally set after the St. Paul Fire Department responded to a call about a commercial building fire around 5:30 a.m., two hours after the fire started, according to the incident report.
Soe Doh — traditionally Karen people do not have a last name — said his neighbor called him that morning saying his building was on fire.
“I’m like well you’re kidding me. My building burned. How?” Soe Doh said. “So I rush all the way to my shop and when I look at what’s going on, I was, you know, almost having a meltdown.”

Sixty firefighters worked several hours to contain the blaze. The shop was completely destroyed.
A St. Paul Fire Department spokesperson said the fire destroyed the main building and another building directly behind it.