A well-known business in Lincoln County that has served the community for decades was destroyed in a massive fire.
Sir's Fabrics in Fayetteville caught on fire shortly after it closed Saturday evening. Crews responded to the store around 6 p.m. According to WHNT News, the damage to the business was significant, but the cause remained unknown.
Photos: Fire Destroys Sir's Fabrics In Fayetteville
Around 1 a.m. Sunday, the fire rekindled, and authorities confirmed the business was destroyed.
The fire chief said the fire was difficult to fight because of the amount of fabric. Fire crews said they had to focus on making sure the fire was contained.
People in the Fayeteville community said they lost a piece of their town's history in the fire.
“Looks like a disaster," Paul Blevins said.
Blevins was a customer who bought automobile headliners from Sir's Fabric store.
“Mr. Joe Sir worked hard to build that," Blevins said.
The same family has operated the business since 1948, according to Jim Lee.
"It’s a shame you’re going to lose jobs," Lee said. "There’s some little old ladies there who knew how to sew, could make things, could fix things. They’ll probably lose their jobs now."
The fire was put out around dinner time on Saturday. Hours later, the fire rekindled according to an alderman.
"About one o'clock supposedly something happened in which it flamed back up, and we live about a quarter mile away and we heard an explosion," Michael Whisenant said.
Whisenant said he believes he heard the roof collapse, and the fire caused the transformers on the power poles to explode.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to nearby businesses.
"The fire did reach the top of the back of the theater," Whisenant said. "There’s a little bit of water and smoke damage."
It's hard for customers and residents to accept that this community staple is gone.
"Just a real tragedy," Lee said.
Customers said people would come from all over the southeast to shop at this fabric store.
“It means so much to the citizens," Lee said. "It means so much to the region."
But now, they're not sure if the owners will rebuild.
"It’s a disaster," Blevins said. "I'll tell you that it's going to be missed.”
Sunday morning, several churches on the square canceled their services due to the power outage.
Sir's Fabrics issued a statement on Facebook saying no one was injured. They asked for respect during this tough time.
The Fayetteville Fire Department has been investigating the fire. The cause remained unknown. The state fire marshal's office announced Monday they would be investigating the cause of the fire.
