What was described as a “massive” fire destroyed most of a sprawling QVC distribution center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, shutting down a major employer just days before Christmas.
About 75% of the home-shopping network facility was destroyed in the five-alarm fire that began early Saturday morning, according to local news reports. One of the 300 employees at the facility was reported missing Sunday morning, and by Monday, a body had been found in the rubble.
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said it was one of the largest fires he’s seen. The building was about 1.5 million square feet, roughly the size of 30 football fields.
“My heart goes out to the folks that, right here at Christmas, have lost jobs, at least temporarily,” Causey said at a news conference. “And a lot of folks had gifts that were in that building.”
He said that the Department of Insurance is available to assist people on insurance questions arising from the fire.
Timothy Richardson, an employee at QVC, was among one of the 300 employees in the building when fire alarms started blaring.
“As soon as we got to the door, we heard the fire alarm,” he said. “That is when we saw the flames all over the top of the building.”
“This is devastating for our county,” said Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans.
QVC is owned by Qurate Retail Inc. The company said in a statement released Monday that it will continue to pay the salaries of all team members who are unable to work due to the facility closure, at least through the end of December, and is evaluating other options to help them.
The company said it has insurance for fire damage, and the carriers have been notified. Other information about the insurance coverage was not available Monday, the company’s statement noted.
The site was QVC’s second-largest fulfillment center, handling as much as 30% of the volume for QVC and HSN, Home Shopping Network. QVC said the shutdown could affect distribution of merchandise as well as resolution of items that have been returned by consumers.
Photo: Firefighters at the scene early Saturday. (AP Photo/Tom Copeland)
Topics North Carolina
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