ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) – The outpouring of support continues for a family who lost their barn in a fire.
The owners of Twisted Willow Farm in Elizabeth City say despite losing several animals and equipment, they’re thankful it wasn’t their home.
“It’s an 80×80 structure and the whole thing was engulfed,” said Randy Fulcher. “In a total of 15 minutes, we went from having a barn to not having a barn.”
Randy and Kandi Fulcher say a lot changed Friday night.
She couldn’t sleep and heard their dogs barking outside. She got up to find their family barn up in flames.
“I looked out the window and it was just a sky of orange,” Kandi Fulcher said.
The couple runs Twisted Willow Farm in Elizabeth City.
They have two young daughters, Vina and Lydia, and their third daughter is due in June.
They lost a tractor, a truck, tools, hay and some of their animals.
“We had our quail, we had our rabbits and some chicks that we were raising for egg birds,” said Randy.
Others like a recently born calf and some chickens, got out safely.
The couple was also worried they lost their dog, Sadie, because she likes to sleep inside.
“I thought she was gone and toward the end of the fire she came running up the street and that was the biggest thing,” Randy Fulcher said. “That was the point where I was like, I can lay down now.”
The couple says their barn was only partially insured, so they’re taking a big financial hit, but despite that, the outpouring of support has given them so much hope.
They say farmers from Edenton all the way to Virginia Beach brought them hay to feed their cattle.
“Such an amazing community that we have around here,” Kandi Fulcher said. “We didn’t realize how big of an impact we had on the community, providing for those families.”
“When I laid down Saturday morning, I didn’t think we were going to be able to continue on,” Randy Fulcher said, “and by Saturday night I didn’t see how I couldn’t continue on after the show out and the people that came out here and the love and support we got.”
Randy and Kandi Fulcher said they didn’t realize how big of an impact their small farm has on the community.
From the Portsmouth Farmers Market to the local families they feed, they say they can’t wait to come back stronger than ever.
“It will be nice to go from square one with the knowledge that we have, we can probably build something better,” Randy Fulcher said.
And out of the fire, some good news.
“We had a calf born in the middle of Saturday,” Randy Fulcher said, “which was also pretty hilarious so I think we are going to name her embers or maybe like phoenix you know, kind of rise from the ashes.”
Twisted Willow Farms still plans to stay in operation and continue processing Grass-fed Dexter beef, pasture-raised Berkshire pork and pastured poultry.
Want to help?
You can support the Fulcher family and the Twisted Willow Farm by purchasing products from their website or by donating to their GoFundMe.
Friends and family members of the Fulcher family have also organized a fundraiser to help them recuperate following the fire. The event is set for March 12. For more information, click here.