ROANOKE, Va. – Authorities say they expect to determine the cause of the massive fire that destroyed Noke Van Co. in southeast Roanoke on Friday night. The owners of Noke Van Co. are already looking ahead, planning for the future despite the loss.
“Everything’s gone,” said Justin VanBlaricom, CEO and owner of Noke Van Co. “It seems like the end, but it’s not.”
The fire tore through their space, which housed more than 18 vans, including Chris’s Coffee and Custard’s food truck.
Beth Woodrum, owner of Chris’s Coffee and Custard, shared the emotional impact of the loss. “He was really sad, just sat and watched it, but we talked about it this morning and he said, ‘I’ve got some ideas, Mom.‘”
Only a few vans and a single bag of tools made it out of the blaze.
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Josh Yerton, chief design officer and co-owner, recalled the moment he learned of the destruction. “Yeah, that was the first words out of his mouth were, ‘It’s all gone,’ you know, through tears, and I didn’t even know what to say. My heart sank.”
Over 34,000 square feet of hopes, dreams, and adventure vanished in an instant. However, the team at Noke Van Co., a crew of 20, is already focused on rebuilding and looking forward.
“This is the beginning of Noke 2.0, so this is what we got to start with, and we will grow it from here,” VanBlaricom said.
Now, they are searching for their next location, emphasizing that it doesn’t matter where. “The business is not the building; the business is this group of people,” Yerton added.
A GoFundMe campaign for the business has already surpassed $25,000. The owners say that money will go directly to supporting their employees. You can contribute to the campaign at GoFundMe: Rebuild Noke Van Co..
“We want to make our employees safe because there are 20 families that we feed,” VanBlaricom said, choking up.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, he noted, “It’s pretty clear to us it was an accident, most likely related to electrical, but there was no ill intent. I know there’s rumors and stuff like that when there’s a big fire that these conspiracy theories come up, but it’s just a tragic accident.”
Chris’s Coffee and Custard is trying to raise funds too: A heartfelt thanks to Johnson Orthodontics for providing their generous matching gift of up to $20,000! To donate to this matching gift campaign for the truck, click here.
