SAN DIEGO — The wind-driven fire that tore across grassy fields and brushy hills near Brown Field airport on Thursday, destroyed the family-owned business, Moreno Pallets.
Irma and Evelyn Moreno said they watched helplessly as the fire destroyed their family business.
“At this point, it is shock," said Evelyn.
The family said it took them 20 years to build their business only to see it destroyed to ashes.
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Irma and Evelyn said it is too early to determine how much they have lost.
“We have not been able to see how much machinery we’ve lost. For production, over $100,000. That’s how much is moved every week,” said Evelyn.
The 15 employees at Moreno Pallets will temporarily be unable to work.
Sadly, it is not the first time the Moreno family has lost their business to a destructive fire.
Irma’s brother who shares the property in Otay Mesa with his own pallet business also lost his company years earlier in another accidental fire.
“We’ve seen it before and luckily we have been able to bounce back,” said Evelyn.
The Moreno family has set up a GoFundMe page for anyone who wishes to help.