WATCH: A family in Hope is devastated after their livelihood went up in flames. Julia Foy reports.
A large fire destroyed two commercial buildings in downtown Hope Saturday night, leaving those affected in shock.
“We just lost everything,” said Jay Tomm of Jay’s Appliance and Repair. His small business, which he started just a year ago, was destroyed in the fire, along with Canyon Carpets.
“My shop’s gone.”
Both buildings had apartment units upstairs, but everyone was able to escape without injury.
“Lost a couple hundred bucks, all our clothing, all our baby clothing, pretty everything we had upstairs,” says Dylan Godfrey, Jay’s son-in-law, who was one of the affected residents.
Twenty volunteer firefighters from Hope and nearby Yale fought the blaze, which spread quickly from the Canyon Carpets wood building. The carpet and flooring store also sold paint, which firefighters say helped fuel the fire.
“It was burning so hot, with the heat and intensity of it,” said Hope Fire Department Chief Tom Desorcy.
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“As much as we were trying to protect that exposure, and keep it cool, not really worrying about the main fire so much as the other buildings, they were just so close, and it was already inside the building.”
WATCH: Video of crews fighting the fire overnight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sgheiJHqPk
The fire moved to two other structures, but crews were able to save them. The intense heat of the flames damaged the vinyl siding of a nearby apartment building.
The cause of the fire is unknown. A crew was still on scene Sunday morning putting out hot spots.
(A fundraising campaign has been set up for Jay’s Appliance and Repair)
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