Family looks to rebuild business after storage unit fire

A family business lost everything in a fire that tore through a storage facility on Poole Road in Raleigh.

All that remains is piles of rubble, debris and damaged goods. It was a heartbreaking sight to see for Jerrod Steele, his wife and seven kids as they returned to the unit.

“This is our livelihood,” said Jerrod Steele. “We do all of this for our kids. We do this to help people out. And that was one of the worst days of my life. We worked so hard,” he said, wiping away tears.

Steele and his family are auction buyers. For the last decade, they have built a business in the resale market.

“It was everything from electronics, furniture, household items. It was just a lot of the stuff we take to local flea markets, and we will be selling from there,” said Arianna Frutos.

They also give back and donate to the community.

“We also enjoy helping people. You know, sometimes people do not see it, but we go behind and help people when we can. You know, like donating to churches. We donate furniture, food and clothes,” Frutos added.

They tell me they were so close to a years-long dream of opening a thrift store of their own.

The fire destroyed about 95% of their inventory and more than $10,000 worth of items.

“It’s just like 10 years trying to get to our goal, get a store, help our kids out, help family members out, which we still do. And it’s like gone, all the way back down to the bottom,” said Steele.

For their children, the memories they have growing up here and helping their parents out are priceless.

“When we were younger, we used to fight over scooters. We’d used to race all the way down here,” said Jacqueline Escamilla Frutos.

“When they bought storage units, we would move boxes and clean them out. No matter if it was cold or hot outside, we would always help our parents,” added Nicole Escamilla Frutos.

They are hoping to push through this setback to find a way to make ends meet and rebuild from the ground up to accomplish their goal of having their own place.

“We are trying to figure out where to start again. It’s like we had to turn around and see our kids and, you know, keep going in our goal. Because this is not going to stop us,” Frutos added.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The family has a GoFundMe set up for anyone interested in supporting them.