The owners of a secondhand store in Pauls Valley are cleaning up this week after a fire destroyed two warehouses, a travel trailer and a pickup on the property Sunday.
Fire crews were called to the Swap Shop at 400 N. Santa Fe Street around 4 p.m. Sunday.
Sherry Frazier, who operates the store with her sister Pat Childress, said the fire seems to have started near the travel trailer, which was parked on the southeast end of the property. She said a cousin who was staying in the trailer reported hearing a pop just before the fire started. He was able to escape unharmed, but the trailer, all his belongings and a pickup truck parked nearby were a total loss, according to Frazier.
The Swap Shop’s main store building was undamaged, but two adjacent warehouses located between the travel trailer and main building burned, along with the inventory housed inside the warehouses, which was largely furniture and architectural salvage.
Pauls Valley Fire Chief Mark Norman said fighting the fire was especially treacherous because of high-voltage power lines extending from an electric substation across the street from the store. Crews had to be careful to keep the flames or heat from compromising the power lines and creating an additional hazard for firefighters working on water-soaked ground at the scene.
Norman said the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but he suspects something in or around the trailer may have malfunctioned, sparking the fire.
The Wynnewood Fire Department provided mutual-aid assistance on the fire.
As of Monday morning, owner Pat Childress said quite a few customers and family members had already called or come by to check on them and offer to help with clean up.
“We’ve got a lot of people coming down to help out,” Childress said. “It’s just a matter of straightening up and trying to rebuild. We’re good.”
“It’s just going to take time,” Frazier added.
