Fruitvale Store Suffers Extensive Damage In Fire

Staff Writer

FRUITVALE—This community’s iconic grocery store on U.S. Highway 80 is gone for an indefinite time.

A fire in the early morning hours Tuesday caused extensive damage to the interior of Smith General Store, according to Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen.

"At this time, it appears to have been an accidental fire that started around the cashier’s stand. There were a lot of electronics right there in that area," Allen said.

Fruitvale, Grand Saline and Edgewood volunteer firefighters were called to the scene about 3 a.m. Fruitvale Volunteer Fire Department Cpt. Steve Erwin said.

The Fruitvale and Edgewood crews had to return to the store Tuesday afternoon when Allen, during his investigation, noticed a couple of hotspots in the ceiling starting to reignite.

"We were here probably three to 3 1/2 hours," Erwin said about the initial fire.

"A couple of hot spots were showing smoke. That was about 2 p.m., but we had those put out in about 30 minutes," he added.

Corey Smith, co-owner of the store with his wife, Amy, stood nearby Tuesday afternoon as firefighters wrapped up their work.

"I’m just waiting on the insurance adjustor to come out," Smith said after a chat with some local residents offering words of encouragement.

"I hope to get a settlement from the insurance and go to work getting it cleaned up and back in business soon, but I don’t know how long that will be," he added.

The impact on the local economy and the spirit of the Fruitvale community cannot be measured, Allen said.

"It was amazing while we there during the fire, listening to people who came up…this is devastating to this community," he said.

Many people — including some who stopped by the store Tuesday intending to have lunch there — were stunned to discover a fire had broken out in the store.

"People here who want to get a snack, a burger or a pizza will now have to go Edgewood, Grand Saline or Canton for that," Allen said.

"This was an extremely nice store. A lot of people came here to drink a cup of coffee," the fire marshal continued. "I never passed by here that there weren’t cars there, except for overnight."

The tin ceiling inside the store complicated the firefighters’ effort to put out the flames, Allen said.

"The ceiling was tin with insulation on top of that…that insulation was heating up and smoldering, which is what led to those hot spots reigniting later in the attic," he explained.

Allen said he felt the loss on a personal level, having trained Smith for a time at the Dallas Fire Department and working with Smith’s father.

"Knowing the owners and visiting with them, they are eager to get it cleaned up and rebuilt, and get the local economy going again…

"They are well known to the community there and that store just has so much of a hometown feeling. It’s a tremendous loss to the Fruitvale area," he added.