NARROWS, Va. – A local business owner in Narrows has lost what she said was her entire life after a fire forced her business to close.
“‘No, no,’ that’s all I kept screaming the whole drive here,” said Stephanie Buchanan, owner of Tidal Wave Seafood. “‘It can’t be happening, no, there’s no way.’”
It was just a regular Friday night for Stephanie Buchanan when a fire in her small business changed her entire world.
“Next thing I know, about an hour after we closed, I got a call from my sister telling me that it came across the scanner that 124 McArthur Lane was on fire — which is my place,” said Buchanan.
The fire started in the basement, sending smoke all throughout the restaurant.
Her daughter said they had just been at the store before the fire started.
“We were here not even 10-15 minutes before Chasity got the call,” said Kathryn Stevens, manager and daughter of Stephanie Buchanan. “We were downstairs looking for a box and magically that’s where the fire started. Practically right after we left.”
They said their restaurant was their entire life, and now it has been stripped away.
“This is my life, this restaurant is my life,” said Buchanan.
“This restaurant means everything to us,” said Stevens.
They said right now, getting this restaurant back open is going to take lots of work.
“We’re talking thousands of dollars to get this place going back up again.”
But in tragedy comes community, and Buchanan said she is already receiving support from around town.
One person is even going the extra mile to help the employees.
“One of God’s blessings that was sent to me — her name is Virginia and she started a GoFundMe to help me [and to] help my girls,” said Buchanan.
Another local business, Sweet T Boutique on Wolf Creek, is also raising money for the restaurant through t-shirt sales.
Owners of the building said they are still waiting to hear what caused the fire.
10 News reached out to the Narrows Fire Department and is still waiting for a response.
If you’d like to support Tidal Wave Seafood, you can find their GoFundMe here.