It's been a surprising start to 2020 for us. Saturday Jan 4th, our Grafton location experienced a large fire that consumed our main building. Numerous trucks and some specialized equipment were lost, but we're extremely grateful that no one was hurt. And though the fire has been described as "devastating," it's anything but for our team. All was not lost. We still have equipment to operate and our spirit continues to be high.
Our entire crew went out to work the Monday after. With some quick work by our team and help from industry partners, we will be continuing to serve our wonderful clients each and every day.
Sadly, our Urban Wood Lab lost some beautiful urban wood. However, our supply remains strong and our mill continues to operate. We are truly thankful for all of the outreach and support from our friends, family, customers, and industry partners. As they say, you never know how many friends you truly have until something like this happens.
January 13, 2020 update
Just over one week after the fire, clean up has started. Big thanks go to Weyker Excavating for their help with prompt clean up and disposal. We also thank Aubrey Electric for coming out immediately to restore electric service to our Grafton location.
Our partner, Pinno Buildings, is able to move up the timetable on a new building we already had planned - thank you Pinno! The new building will be about 5,000 square feet, and is designed specifically for our needs. In the coming months, you will definitely see us rise from the ashes.
Grafton Fire FAQ
Q: What caused the fire?
A: We may never know. The fire burned for several hours inside the building before it was noticed by a Grafton police officer. According to the forensic scientist who examined the property, the destruction was too great to determine that answer.
Q: How long did it take to put out?
A: The Grafton Fire Department did an outstanding job. They, along with 12 other fire departments, worked from about 3:30am to 7:30am that morning. They needed 60,000 gallons of water to put the fire out. The next day, they returned with another 1,000 gallons of water to drench the site.
Q: How could your crews continue working right away?
A: We have an incredible team, and no one wanted to let our customers down! Everyone pulled together in Grafton and in our other divisions to keep moving forward. Fortunately, only about 15% of our equipment was damaged, so we have plenty of capability to continue work. We're very grateful for industry partners who have stepped up to loan us what we do need until we can replace what was damaged. We were able to replace safety gear and hand tools immediately.