Bixby business damaged by fire

One of the largest and best known produce markets in Green Country is heavily damaged by fire. <br/><br/>Carmichael's Produce caught fire over the weekend. It's located at 14800 South Memorial

Monday, March 6th 2006, 10:56 am

By: News On 6

One of the largest and best known produce markets in Green Country is heavily damaged by fire.

Carmichael's Produce caught fire over the weekend. It's located at 14800 South Memorial in Bixby, but for three decades has drawn customers from all across the area.

News on 6 anchor Craig Day says despite the damage, Carmichael's is open and plans to rebuild.

For 30 years now, customers have bought plants and fresh produce from Carmichael's in Bixby. A big part of the business was destroyed in a matter of minutes. "To me, the building is almost. It's almost unusable. We're probably going to have to go back and rebuild." The 40 by 120 foot building caught fire early Saturday morning. Don Carmichael says an electrical problem is the most likely cause.

The fire damaged equipment, produce and nearly everything inside. When you take into account all the seeds and other merchandise inside the store and then the damage to the building itself, the fire caused an estimated quarter of a million dollars in damage. And for the Carmichael's, it came at a bad time. Of course, there's no good time for a fire, but the Carmichael's will soon enter their busiest time of year. "We're busy planting now, we're busy in our greenhouses. We're just. Without this problem, we're kind of strung out anyway."

Despite the damage, the Carmichael's say it could have been worse. "You know, we didn't have anybody hurt, not just a building, it can be rebuilt. We'll just pick up and start over, it's all you can do. We've been here too long to just walk away. It may be something we ought to do, but we're not."

For now, Carmichael's have moved their retail area to an adjacent greenhouse. The Carmichael's will meet with insurance adjusters this week. They hope to begin rebuilding as quickly as possible.