At 3:45 p.m. last Sunday, dispatchers received a call from employees of the Kent County General Store at 272 N. Main Street in Jayton. A fire had started toward the back of the steel-frame building, which for some years has been the only retail establishment in a county of fewer than 1,000 population.
Despite quick response from the Kent County Volunteer Fire Department six blocks away, said county commissioner Roy Chisum, the fire engulfed the structure. The fire had generated smoke so thick “you couldn’t see four feet inside the front door,” said commissioner Robert Graham. According to commissioners and Kent County Sheriff William Scogin, no other emergency departments were dispatched. Kent County sheriff deputies Jeremy Carter and Lindsey Cave handled the call. Staff quickly evacuated the building Sunday afternoon, including half a dozen or so customers, and there were no injuries. Store owners Tiffany Ham and her husband, Daryl, also a county commissioner, were away on a long-awaited visit with family in Graham, Texas, when the fire broke out. Tiffany Ham said they and their sons returned to Jayton as soon as employee Colby called them, arriving back about 6:30 p.m.
By then the fire was under control but store inventory and equipment were evidently damaged, likely a total loss. “We were told not to take anything except computers and office records,” she said.
The Hams, who reside in a house across the street from the back of the store, have run the establishment for the past 11 years. Part grocery, part feed store, part boutique, and part restaurant, the popular store had been a landmark for travelers on Texas Highway 70 as well as a lifeline for local supplies.
Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office were on hand Monday to help determine the cause and extent of the fire, but were unable to provide further details by press time. Tiffany Ham said she did not know the origin of the fire, either.
Community members quickly signed up via a Meal-Train website organized by Jayton resident Samantha Spray to provide meals for the family while they sort through the store damage.
“Everybody has been so thoughtful and loving and helpful” with the community outpouring of help and well wishes, said Tiffany Ham.
“We are devastated,” she said. “It’s shocking, tough to wrap your mind around.”
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