WENDELL, Idaho — The Median Fire burned through Gooding County on Wednesday, fueled by strong winds, scorching a historic salvage yard and leaving its manager questioning whether the business can survive.
WATCH: The Median Fire destroyed an estimated 9,000 cars at L&L Classic Auto in Gooding County, Idaho, and the business may not recover from the loss.
RELATED | Median Fire in Wendell decreases in size to 4,060 acres, forward progress stopped
L&L Classic Auto, a family-owned operation north of Wendell that has been in business since the 1960s, lost an estimated 9,000 of its 10,000 cars in the fire. It also destroyed the business's office, all of its records, and a new tow shop.
L&L manager Jesse Johnson said the fire was unlike anything he had seen.
"We had 10,000 cars, and if you look at 90% of the inventory, we probably lost 9,000 – there is not one part of this yard that wasn't affected somehow by this fire," Johnson said.
Johnson described a harrowing escape as the fire approached Highway 46.
"I started coming up the main road, and I ran into several people and vehicles. And, it got to where I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe. I seen a left and I took it. I went up through the desert with the roll-back, and I got my can and the roll-back out," Johnson said.
Once the winds died down, crews were able to get the fire under control by Thursday morning.
Beyond the physical destruction, Johnson said the financial blow may be insurmountable. He explained that insuring a salvage yard is nearly impossible.
"Insurance every year has been going up, and there is no way to ensure junk cars sitting in a yard. We jumped through hoops just so we can keep the insurance on the building – and apparently that insurance only affects if the customer walks into the building and catches on fire. So, we are not going to be collecting any money from insurance companies. We're not making millions of dollars out of this – all we're getting is a lot of hard work," Johnson said.
The morning after the fire, Johnson said the reality of what happened had not fully set in.
"I went home last night, took a bath, was hoping it was just a dream. Come in this morning and obviously it wasn't a dream – it's for real. L&L Classic might not be in business anymore," Johnson said.
Johnson said his thoughts are also with L&L owner Larry Harms, who is 90 years old.
"At 90 years old, he's hard of hearing now, and it's a little bit hard to get him to wrap his head around what's happened. I'm sure that he is probably reeling over this. If this don't kill Larry, it will damn sure try," Johnson said.
Despite the devastation, Johnson said there is only one option.
"In the light of day, you got to come in here, put on your boots and get back to work and try and salvage something of this mess," Johnson said.
L&L Classic Auto was not the only business affected. The Gooding County Transfer Station, located across the highway from the salvage yard, lost its administrative building in the fire. The transfer station will remain closed until crews can fully assess the damage.
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