WILLOW SPRINGS, N.C. (WNCN) — A Johnston County business is reeling after a devastating fire destroyed its barn early Sunday morning.
Smith’s Nursery was closed on Sunday as the owners started the process of cleaning up.
“I don’t know, I think it’s kind of still processing what’s happened,” said Chris Smith, whose family owns Smith’s Nursery and Produce Farm.
Debris is all that’s left of the biggest building at Smith’s Nursery after the fire ripped through it around 3 a.m.
“I got here 3:05 or so, and the whole back side of the barn was kind of engulfed in flames,” Smith said.
A neighbor across the street noticed the smoke and flames and called 911 as well as Chris Smith’s father. Smith said his father called him and his brother.
Neighbors said at least two fire departments responded with tankers and trucks.
“Two or three hours of kind of watching the barn burn,” Smith described.
Chris and his brother Mitch said the barn held tractors and farm equipment as well as packaging and shipping supplies.
They said one end of the barn also held offices. The other end had a large cooler to store produce.
However, the fire destroyed more than just material things. The farm has been in the family for 70 years.
“Memories and sentimental things that you can’t replace,” Mitch Smith said.
The Smiths say their neighbors and community have stepped up to help, including other farmers offering to loan their tractors to help.
“I mean, it’s been overwhelming people stopping by this morning to drop off biscuits, even small stuff like that,” Chris said.
The brothers said their family is trying to return to business and keep things as normal as possible.
“We’ll be open with blueberry picking, visiting animals or ice cream, all those kind of things, just like always,” Chris said.
Everything else, they say they are taking day by day.
“We’ve got community and family and friends to lean on and faith. So we’ll be all right,” Mitch said.
The brothers said their business will be back up and running as much as possible starting Monday, while they figure out what the rebuilding process will look like.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
