Community rallies around local woman after her cabinet shop was destroyed in fire

UCON – When Kayla Briggs closed her cabinet shop in Ucon last Friday everything was normal. A few hours later though, her world was turned on its head, as the shop caught fire completely destroying her livelihood.

“The best phrase I’ve found (to describe how I feel) is ‘living nightmare’ and ‘haunting,'” Briggs tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We have a full picture of the shop a day and a half before the fire, and it’s just hard to look at.”

North Land Cabinet Design at 3150 U.S. Highway 20 burst into flames around 5:30 Saturday morning. No official cause has been reported yet, but Ucon Fire Chief Scott Norman believes it was an electrical issue.

RELATED | Local cabinet shop a total loss in early morning Ucon Fire

No one was inside the building at the time, but the interior of the building and all the inventory and equipment inside were burned. The shop is a total loss. The cost in damages hasn’t been released yet, but Briggs estimates it to be tens of thousands of dollars. Briggs says insurance won’t cover her losses and did not elaborate why.

Though she’s grateful no one was hurt, Briggs says the sole source of income for her family is gone.

“We’re ok for the moment,” Briggs says. “My biggest concerns are being able to keep supporting my employees, customers and not letting people down that I have commitments to, and of course my family, ultimately.”

Briggs’ husband got sick several years ago, leaving him unable to work. Briggs got a job at a cabinet shop to provide for their family, but it wasn’t everything she hoped it would be. That’s when she decided to open her own cabinet shop.

Since opening in April 2018, North Land Cabinet Design has grown to include nine employees, and a customer base from Jackson and Island Park all the way to Pocatello.

“They’re being really patient and I’ve told them we’ll get them taken care of no matter what,” says Briggs.

She’s doing everything she can to take care of her customers and her employees, but with no immediate income for her family, the future seems uncertain and she faces some difficult decisions.

After hearing of Briggs’ plight, her best friend created a GoFundMe account to help raise funds for Briggs’ family. More than $400 has been raised since it was created Monday.

“It’s been really overwhelming to have my friends, colleagues, customers, and family reaching out to me,” Briggs says. “Everybody is trying to be there for me and I really appreciate it.”

Briggs says she’s determined to rebuild and come back better and stronger than ever and feels everything is going to be okay in the long run.

“I feel like this is going to be a blessing in disguise. It sucks really bad right now, but there’s a reason (for it). We’ll come out better on top of it,” she says.

If you’d like to donate to her GoFundMe, click here.