That’s Sam Nguyen starting the North Main Street clean-up; not the city of Austin.

One fire-damaged building instead of six is being mercifully erased from the North Main Street cityscape.

On Monday, a Bustad Excavating crew started preparing to clean up debris from a Jan. 15 fire, and it caused a flurry of excitement from downtowners eager to see the mess gone.

Austin Fire Chief Dan Wilson assisted the contractor in gaining access to a fire hydrant to water the site when the actual demolition work begins today, and debris is hauled away. That will be necessary to eliminate the dust from the air as much as possible.

The site of one business-owner cleaning up one business site was encouraging to all.

“I got the city’s permission to clean up my building,” said Nguyen, co-owner of the family-owned Top Ten Nails business. “I’m paying for it. I’m not getting any help. I’m having it done myself.”

The Top Ten Nails business was re-located to 507 First St. NW after being one of the 400-block North Main Street victims of the devastating Jan. 15 fire.

Arson is believed to be the cause of the blaze, and the investigation is continuing, according to Fire Chief Wilson.

The Jan. 15 fire occurred on a brutal Thursday afternoon, when temperatures plunged below zero.

Passers-by told authorities they heard an explosion near 3:45 p.m. Jan. 15.

A family living in an apartment above the Mia Tierra restaurant, grocery store, money transfer and other businesses near the Downtown Plaza (Third Avenue Northeast) intersection escaped injuries.

Firefighters from Austin, Albert Lea, Blooming Prairie, Brownsdale and Rose Creek battled the blaze overnight.

Maria Leon, owner of the properties at 400-406 North Main Street, has received official notice from the city that her properties have been declared a health hazard and must be cleaned up.

However, the prospect that the cleanup could take 60 days or more has frustrated business-owners on the west side of North Main Street, who have to look out their store windows at the ugly sight, withstand constant inquires from customers who wonder why it is taking so long to clean up the hazard and independent business operators who have lost customer parking on the east side of North Main Street.

“It’s frustrating for all of us,” said Jim Hurm, city administrator,

No further action from the Austin City Council is expected until May 4 when they are slated to review cost estimates for the cleanup.

Sandy Bell, owner of Twice As Nice, one of the businesses on the west side of North Main Street, has been among the vocal critics of the city’s inaction.

“I’m still frustrated,” Bell said of the situation Monday. “They’re going to take up a lot of parking spaces when they do all the demolition and clean up work.”