ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. — It’s been several days since a fire ravaged a warehouse in Isle of Wight County, leaving 13 business owners nothing but rubble to sort through.
One of those business owners is Trevor Hawley. He told News 3 the inventory of his shop, Motorcycle Dreams, was valued at around $500,000, but now he's scraping the metal for six and a half cents per pound. His business specialized in pre-1984 Harley Davidson parts.
“About 10 miles away I could see the black smoke coming up, and that’s when it first kind of hit that this was much more serious,” said Hawley.
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13 business owners sorting through rubble after Isle of Wight commercial fire
Thursday crews battled the industrial fire for hours. A state of emergency was declared for the county for possible hazardous materials in the air. The cause was ruled to be accidental, but the fire chief said they haven't determined where or how the fire started.
Hawley told News 3 while he's devastated, he's feeling supported by the community.
“I’m trying to turn all those negative and sad feelings into a positive, that people are in my corner and people are rooting for me, and we can rebuild this again,” said Hawley.
Watch previous coverage: 13 business owners sorting through rubble after Isle of Wight commercial fire
He said the devastation is an unfortunate reminder that life can change in an instant.
"Don’t take anything for granted, appreciate what you do have," said Hawley.
If you want to know more about Hawley's plans to rebuild, click here.
