GREENFIELD, Iowa- It’s almost too soon for the sights and sounds of destructions in Greenfield, but some residents are picking up the pieces again.

Jay Nichols and James Maser are both truck drivers for G & H Motors Freight Lines in Northern Greenfield. They both drove past the facility Saturday morning to survey the damage after a massive fire engulfed the business Friday afternoon.

They saw the fire was still burning, but on Saturday morning, the flames were mainly contained to the lower-level of what’s left of the building. They also saw fire fighters continuing to put out the flames.

Fire crews on scene told WHO 13 News Saturday morning that this fire is very difficult to put out.

Maser was near the facility when the flames broke out. He described hearing an explosion, followed by flames erupting from the southeast corner of the building, near the shop area.

Officials told WHO 13 News Friday night that there were five employees working in the building who also heard an explosion. After seeing the fire, they evacuated the building and called 911. Ten minutes later, fire crews from multiple different departments were on scene. Officials said the widespread response was vital.

“There’s not a ladder truck available here locally in Adair County so having one neighboring right there just 20 minutes away at Stuart is very handy,” said Jeremy Cooper, the Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator.

Though no injuries were reported, the building is a complete loss, and it’s unrecognizable to those who saw it every day.

Maser said the warehouse, truck parking area, and offices are destroyed. He believes that flammable material inside of the building is what made the fire difficult to put out. He recalls a pickup truck and a boat being located inside of the warehouse. Five trucks were also parked along the warehouse, in the truck parking when the flames erupted. He said all of these vehicles were destroyed in the fire, and it’s very likely they all had full tanks of fuel.

Despite the loss of the building and these vehicles, business will continue as usual starting Monday morning.

“We’ve got customers to take care of,” said Nichols, “During Covid, a lot of the dispatchers worked from home. So, we’ll probably do the same thing.”

Nichols said his coworkers are like family, and that they would all take care of each other to move forward. This is especially necessary since many in Greenfield, like Maser, are still trying to rebuild after an EF-4 tornado tore through the town in late May.

Maser said, “I live in the truck right now, because the tornado that came through a few months ago took my house out. So, I live in the truck until I find another place.”

Officials have not yet released the cause of the fire.