Ariel Theatrical powers through Dick Bruhn fire aftermath.

Ariel Theatrical has faced massive hurdles in the aftermath of the brutal fire at the adjacent Dick Bruhn building, giving new meaning to the phrase “the show must go on.”

“We could have lost it all,” says Gail Higginbotham, founder of Ariel. “It was a monumental accomplishment that the building is still there; we couldn’t be more grateful.”

Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter and Higginbotham consider it a “miracle” that no flames managed to torch the 30-year-old theater – or for that matter, any of the businesses sharing the same block with the now-destroyed Bruhn building.

However, when firefighters doused the fire a week ago, water and smoke came through the theater’s walls, saturating the bottom floor and polluting what Higginbotham says are about 50,000 costumes, as well as drapes and textiles.

As staff moves through the process of reconditioning the facility, dozens of children, who for weeks have rehearsed scenes for the play The Little Red Hen, will still recite their lines and assume their roles as farmyard animals this weekend. But their performance won’t happen on the Ariel stage, which currently sits on a water-damaged floor in the facility.

Instead, the children will play their parts at Notre Dame High School, which donated its space for three shows on Feb. 26 and 27. “The community has been so generous and so great to us,” Higginbotham says.

In the week since the blaze, the theater’s bottom floor was stripped of carpeting and wood tiles, while scores of costumes were taken away from smoke-filled rooms to be cleaned by specialists.

Neil Miller with Disaster Kleenup Specialists says it has yet to be determined if the water that soaked the ground is tainted with asbestos, a concern since Dick Bruhn building owners are being investigated for the alleged illegal removal and dumping of asbestos.

To protect themselves, Higginbotham and her staff are wearing masks as they continue to assess the damage inside the building. So far, repairs to the facility’s ceiling, electrical panels, flooring, walls and framing are expected.

“Everyone is being thorough here, we are not taking any chances – we have children in here,” Higginbotham says.

Even though Ariel is insured – unlike the Dick Bruhn building, which city officials have said had no insurance – the damage is expected to exceed $350,000 and Ariel will likely have to foot a portion of the bill. Higginbotham says Ariel is asking for donations, and adds their insurance company will be talking to Bruhn building owner Gerry Kehoe.