PDA

View Full Version : Tragic Weekend


carl28
07-23-2001, 08:25 PM
Need to share this with you all so you can see how close to home it is.


Saturday afternoon we finished up relitively early for us around 3:00p.m. came home and showered grabbed a bite to eat and took the wife and baby out for an ice cream. Got home around 6:00 and was just settling into my recliner when my neighbor started pounding on the door. Awnsering the door Terri yelled turn on the t.v. quickly flipping on the local news station I saw a site that turned my stomach my primary competitor and former employer of 5 years was losing his entire buisness to a huge fire
His 40x160 foot barn and retail landscape supply store was fully engulfed in flames. Having worked for the company as its lead foreman for five years I had grown a special attachment to not only thier Buisness but thier family often sharing meals and beer. As quickly as legaly possible I rushed to the fire. On arriving I discovered that even the ten minute drive from home had put me to far away to witness the destruction of a 16 year old buisness in less than an hour the barn and all of its continents were a total loss mowers, tools, saws, and countless thousands of dollars in machinery and supplies gone. As I searched the grounds nearly frantic looking for the owner and his family I found them huddled together atop a mulch bin watching thier livley hood and thier hard work disappear in flames. Surrounding them was a sight that nearly brought tears to my eyes close to a dozen of the local landscape contractors and construction contractors that work in our rural area had already arrived with thier own families ready to provide what ever assitance they could and to console the family on thier loss. In the hours that followed commitments were made to provided any needed assitance for the immideate and long term future of the company equipment and employees were offered at no cost to help clean up hte mess and offers of assitance in covering contractual obligations were organized to insure that the company would make it thru this tragedy.
The outpouring of love and compassion that was displayed by the local tradesmen of this community reassured me that even in this time of moral decay somethings mean more than the almighty dollar.. Please remember that although we often bid against each other and always try to out do the next guy that it could be you in trouble and when you are the people you want working beside you are the guys who do what we do and try just as hard as us to make a living.


On behalf of the Plaisted Family and the Owners of the PLAISTED LANDSCAPE SUPPLY AND GARDEN CENTER THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED IN THIS TIME OF NEED.

lawnboy82
07-23-2001, 08:33 PM
that truly is horrible. keep us informed as to whatever you may find out about how the fire started. that would benefit us all i believe. i wish you and your friend all the best luck in this dark time.

script
07-23-2001, 08:43 PM
Carl28 sorry to hear about that misfortune, but thank God no one was hurt. I'm too far to offer any physical assistance but I'll send some prayers that they get through these tough times of rebuilding.. goodluck to you and your friends.

bobby

guntruck
07-23-2001, 09:53 PM
Im very sorry to here that, send my conolences to the family involved. It is very nice and warming to here that the locals(landscapers specifically) reached out to help the family, sometimes i wonder if people even care about eachother anymore the way things are getting so it is very nice to hear stories like that once in a while.

geogunn
07-23-2001, 11:17 PM
they are lucky to have you and the others a friends.

please send them our best wishes.

GEO

crazygator
07-23-2001, 11:24 PM
I wish the best for your friend. Also let us know if there is a fund we can send money to. I will help out, and I know many others here will also. It is nice to see that when terrible things happen, true people do shine through!

awm
07-23-2001, 11:54 PM
my biggest goal in life is to live it to the max,what ever that turns out to be. this story just shows how quick everything can change.my sympathies to your friend.everyday as i pull out the drive i simply ask for a good day ,or that i may endure .if its not so good.mostly just protect my family.what ever, we just keep on
cause we really got no choice.again my sympathies.

LAWNGODFATHER
07-24-2001, 01:13 AM
as from experiance I do know what it is like to have other colleagues in the same biz that will come togather no questions asked in order to help with a misfortune

I would be one of the first in line to help even if I did not even know them

that's the kind of person I am and I don't like to hear about others misfortunes but they do happen and people should help them in their times of need

good luck to your friend and colleagues and hope the longer days ahead will put good fortune in all of their hearts and souls



LGF:blob3:

strickdad
07-24-2001, 03:11 AM
why dont we send him some money to help out!!!! every body in here can afford a few dollars right? remeber ther is a lot of us in here and five or ten bucks will go a long way if serveral people give.. carl why dont you give us an address so we can get help on the way

roscioli
07-24-2001, 08:51 AM
Carl, sorry to hear about your friend's loss. The thing to remember is that nobody was hurt, and that rebuilding is always possible, even if it doesnt seem that way right now. Send them my best, or for that matter, everyone here on Lawnsite's best.
On a site note, were they insured? Lets hope...

syzer
07-24-2001, 09:13 AM
Hope they make it through =( and hope that no one else can get in the same predicament!

Foz
07-24-2001, 09:53 PM
Glad no one was injured, being a firemen I have seen businesses burn before. Insurance cos are slow to get a move on, so I like the lets pitch in a $$ for them idea. How about it Admin.??? Great to hear you "competitors" are helping out, good luck to all involved!

Hoosier Mower
07-24-2001, 11:50 PM
Very sorry to hear about your friend, I wish him and his familey the very best in these tough times. It's moments like this we thank God for insurance. Best of luck from Indiana.

Randy
07-25-2001, 12:01 AM
My the lord look down and smile on these folks in there time of need.god bless.

carl28
07-25-2001, 02:52 PM
First off Thanx again to everyone for all of the generous and courteous offers of suppport and condolence. I apologize profusely for not updating this thread sooner buta s you can all imagine we have been very busy with our own work and trying to cover extra work for the Plaisteds. GOD has been very gracios in the aftermath of the fire not only by bringing together so many fine people but also with the weather we have recieved since, Temps have skyrocketed into the mid to upper nineties and even our irrigated lawns are burning in record numbers this has taken a great deal of pressure off of the mowing and maintainenece crews to hot to plant prune or cut for that matter as a result we have had some extra time to help with the clean-up. The fire marshall was in on monday and attributed the fire to spontaneous combustion in the hay loft. He says the temp and humidity were just right and the fact that there was no warning just an explosion ruled out many other sources of combustion.
Monday found us Hauling eight mowers a gravely walk behind broom and nearly of the hand tools to the dump. With luck one of thier newest walk-behinds was at the shop for service and two more still loaded in the enclosed trailer. By replacing the two cycle equipment, gas cans and the hand tools they were able to get one crew on the road on monday. With the outstanding and quick response of thier insurance company other crews and clean-up began in earnest today.. (can't say how impressed I was with State Farm they had an investigator on site with a check in hand on monday.) hope mmy own insurance is that fast if i ever need them. We were able to salvage a gravely walk-behind and get it running with some scoffed parts from my needs to go to the dump but hate to part with it pile. As far as the offers of Financial Gifts though greatly appreciated I don't believe this is the right forum to request them and would instead suggest that in lieu of sending money to the Plaisteds we should continue to support LAWNSITE.COM since it is this site that aallowed me to share the story in the first place. This tragedy has been a real blessing in our community nightly dozens of vollunteers show up to help with what ever needs to be done and the outpouring of love is ceaseless with fresh meals and cold drinks being dropped off constantly even the town has pitched in and made several 60 yard dumpsters available to us for hauling away the trash. Can't say enough for the local vollunteer fire dept either they went be on the call of duty and were able to save not only the computers but several filing cabinets full of important documents. Those guys deserve your support in your own town as much as mine.

Well its gonna cool down soon and we are going to start razing the rest of the foundation tonight so I let you go.


THanx again


Carl