Jack the Bike Man warehouse catches fire

By FloridaBicyclist

A warehouse belonging to Jack the Bike Man was destroyed in a fire in the early morning of Feb. 19.

“The building that was originally meant to be our forever home—and has been on the market for sale—is currently on fire,” the nonprofit bike shop posted on Facebook. “Thankfully no one is hurt.”

There was concern that the shop, which is a separate building, but attached to the warehouse was in danger of collapse, but the shop was spared and is open regular hours.

“This is a huge setback, but we are determined to keep moving forward,” the shop posted in another update. “Jack the Bike Man is still here, and we aren’t going anywhere.”

Jack The Bike Man is a nonprofit that gives bikes away to people who need them. The shop is asking for financial and community support. There are a number of ways to support them. Monetary donations can be made via PayPal; bikes can be donated at the shop; or bikes can be brought in for service.

The fire started in an electrical panel in the warehouse and quickly spread to the Dade County pine ceiling and burned for more than five hours, completely destroying the building’s roof.

The fire comes a couple months after someone broke into the shop and stole all of the money out of the cash register.

Since 2007, Jack the Bike Man has restored and donated more than 32,000 bicycles to the West Palm Beach Community. While the organization has operated as a nonprofit for 17 years, its founder, Samuel H. “Jack” Hairston III, began this mission of restoring and donating bikes long before achieving nonprofit status. Hairston’s legacy continues to inspire the organization’s work following his death in 2023.

For more information or to donate to the nonprofit, visit https://jackthebikeman.org.