SMITHFIELD, Va. — It's been one week since a massive fire tore through a warehouse at the Isle of Wight Industrial Park in Smithfield.
The building is a total loss, and more than a dozen business owners are still cleaning up the mess.
David Stuart, the owner of Stuart's Marine, said it was "devastating to lose everything we have worked so hard to build" since opening in 2004.
He said he arrived on the morning of January 18 to find black smoke coming from several of his neighboring businesses.
"I frantically ran inside my business and found smoke coming through the wall," he told 13News Now in an email. "I evacuated our shop just before my office and bathroom burst into flames from the glowing red wall behind them."
Stuart said he was the first to call 911 to report the fire. He said his shop was completely destroyed, including a boat that had been parked inside the shop.
"It got so hot all of the aluminum melted into puddles in the floor. It destroyed all of our hand and specialty tools in our 3,750sq ft shop," Stuart said. "We are sifting through the ash this week and hope to rebuild."
A total of 13 businesses were destroyed in the blaze.
There are ways you can help Stuart's Marine and some other business owners get back on their feet. Verified GoFundMe pages have been created to help three of the businesses impacted by the fire:
Meanwhile, Isle of Wight County is still under a local emergency, because of potentially hazardous materials that were inside the warehouse.
Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Chief Garry Windley said the declaration will not be rescinded until the next Board of Supervisors meeting, which is scheduled for February 15.