LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Seven years after a massive fire destroyed the Bluegrass Stockyards site on Forbes Road in Lexington, staff there are reflecting on how far they've come.
The fire on January 30, 2016 was the largest in Lexington in more than 30 years. More than 100 firefighters battled the three-alarm fire for hours before it was under control.
The stockyards were destroyed, along with 184 vehicles from nearby lots and parts of neighboring businesses. An investigation found a worker using a saw on the metal roof of the stockyards accidentally created a spark that caused the fire.
"I know exactly where I was. I live in Versailles and I could see the smoke from there," said Jeremy Shryock, the yard manager at the new location.
The original Bluegrass Stockyards had been near downtown Lexington along Forbes Road since the 1940s. After the fire, the business rebuilt outside town along Ironworks Pike.
"We brought some modern here when we built the new facility. It's all metal, metal gates," Shryock said.
When Shryock looks back on the past seven years, he said he's reminded of the qualities that make up the business.
"You've got to be willing to overcome adversity. That’s life. That's a big part of farming. Everybody in our organization has some ties to that and that's what, I think, makes us great and makes us a great industry to be in," Shryock said.
While it may have been daunting, it's certainly no surprise to him seven years later that they're looking at all they've accomplished since.
"They're a pretty gritty bunch of people, if that makes sense, and kind of got that old cowboy mentality, 'We'll get back, we'll be better, and we'll get through it'. We adjusted. We had other facilities to make it work for our customers. We got up on Monday morning and looked through the ashes, and here we are now," he said.
