Firefighters are still putting out flames from a huge fire at an RV supplier in St. Joseph County, Michigan that started around 10 a.m., the morning of June 24, 2022.
Every single fire department in the county was called in to help, not just due to the size of the fire, but also because it was in such a rural area.
Graber’s Industries has been an RV supplier since the 1950’s.
Hannah Clark was inside when the fire started.
“I feel like right now I'm pretty calm because I'm in shock. This has been here well before I was even born,” said Clark.
Hannah Clark and her boyfriend were inside working at the time.
“This little raccoon came running at us. Actually, we thought it had rabies because it looked sick. It had a bloody paw and stuff, and its eyes were white. So, we assumed oh crap this is a sick raccoon, so we just ran out,” said Clark.
They noticed smoke coming from the roof just moments after getting outside.
“Within minutes the ceiling just collapsed, and smoke was rolling out. We got out there with a few minutes to spare because of that raccoon,” said Clark.
Assistant Chief Hunter Miracle, Centreville Fire Department says the fire started in one barn, which was full of lumber, and quickly engulfed the other two.
“We had the fire knocked down within probably the first hour once we got the aerial set up. We called in two excavators and right now they're sifting through the fire knocking down are hotspots. Definitely still have a lot of work ahead of us as we've only gotten through one barn,” said Miracle.
He says by far the biggest challenge was getting water to the area.
"We ended up having to set up five different fill sites for our tankers to keep the water supply continuous,” said Miracle.
That included tapping into a nearby farmer’s irrigation system.
“It’s amazing that we had that support in this community. It's definitely very helpful especially in days like today where we have this massive fire. we wouldn't have been able to keep up without them here,” said Miracle.
Despite the loss, the family wants everyone to know they aren’t closing down.
“Three have collapsed but we still have three buildings full of merchandise. So, we still plan on operating some, we just don't have as much inventory as we did,” said Clark.
Firefighters say no injuries were reported in the blaze. They add it’s going to take quite some time to figure out how the fire started.
Original story:
Business owner confirms a fire at Graber Industries in Constantine, MI.
From the company's Facebook page, "Grabers is up in flames. Both building 1 and 2 and a side building. They're gone. We will be closed until further notice. Thank you to ALL who have supported us through the years, we will be back! We still have 3 buildings!"
At this time it's unclear if anyone was hurt, or what may have sparked this fire.