Two weeks after a blaze destroyed the Caudill’s Electric main office, employees are making the best of a difficult situation.
“We are operating out of one of our other buildings that is right across the street at 205 [Bodenhamer Street], so we’re in tight quarters but we’re operational and our trucks are rolling,” Caudill’s President Dana Caudill Jones told Scope News. “As soon as that Tuesday after Memorial Day, we were open … mainly due to a lot of hard work from our employees. They worked Sunday and Monday to try to get things turned around so we could use this space for everyone.”
The historic building “is a total loss,” she added, but a plan is underway to rebuild on the same site.
“Investigations from the fire department, fire marshal’s office, insurance, have just really wrapped up this week, so we’re waiting for the OK and then we’ll start to demo the building and then start to work to rebuild,” Jones said.
Despite it all, the company has managed to provide uninterrupted service to its local customers.
“I’m working on a fold-out table with a camping chair, but it’s OK,” Jones explained. “I’ve got my laptop half the time in my lap, but we’re working and we’re answering our phone and we’re servicing our customers and our team here has done amazing work. They’ve got a really good attitude working in not the best of conditions because there are so many of us now in one building.”
While the circumstances are far from ideal, she said the Caudill’s staff is “making it work,” adding that the community has shown its support in the days since the fire.
“We just appreciate everyone reaching out,” Jones added. “We want to make sure that everyone knows that we’re open. There were rumors out there that we were going to close — and we’re not. We want to make sure everyone knows we’re open and if they need any electrical or security needs, give our folks a call.”
An online fundraiser established to benefit the company has raised nearly $2,000 of its $5,000 goal as of this writing.
“We hate that we lost the historical building,” Jones said. “We hate that we lost all the memories that were in that building from 1978 when my parents first started operating there. But we want to keep in perspective, too, that that night was really tragic and [resulted in] the death of a young girl. We lost a building, but a family lost a child — and that’s heartbreaking. So I think we just want to make sure that people remember that. We are heartbroken for that family; our building can be replaced.”
The Kernersville Fire Rescue Department concluded that a fatal crash near the scene of the fire was the cause of the blaze.
In a public statement, the agency reported:
“The Kernersville Fire Rescue Department has concluded its investigation into the fire that occurred Saturday night at 208 E. Bodenhamer Street, also known locally as the Caudill Electric building.
The cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental. The fire originated from a catastrophic electrical event that occurred following a motor vehicle crash involving a utility pole and power lines in the area.
We appreciate the cooperation of our partnering agencies and the public during the course of this investigation.
We understand that this incident has generated significant public interest, and we appreciate the community’s patience as we worked to determine the facts. The department remains committed to providing timely, accurate information and encourages residents to verify details through official sources.”
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