By Je’Don Holloway Talley
For The Birmingham Times
A fire that destroyed a Midfield family business will not be a setback, but a setup for great comeback, say owners of the establishment.
One Aug. 17, ‘The Grill Midfield’ a family owned establishment operated by 27 year-old twins Erick and Derick Daniel caught fire on Woodward Rd. in Midfield. The building sits right in front of the ‘Midfield Barber & Style Shop’; a 20-year-old city staple owned by Milton Daniel, the twins’ father.
“It was all very surreal and like a scene in a movie” said Derick. “Between discovering the smoke and the ventilation problem, and the flames breaking out, it was only a matter of minutes before things were out of control . . . the ceiling and the walls started melting, the fire was breaking the glass, and we started panicking. All we could do from there was call 911 and get as much of our personal things out before the fire got too big.”
Erick said, “The grill pit was closed and locked for over two hours before the fire started. We smoke our ribs and pulled pork, so we don’t have to tend to the grill like you do a regular fire pit. But my mother noticed that the pit room had a lot more smoke than usual and asked me if it was supposed to be smoking that much. I went inside and saw that the grill was smoking profusely and that the pit lid was raised, which is not normal because the grill had already been closed.”
Derick said the community support has been overwhelming.
“The support and love from the community has been humbling,” he said. “The city of Midfield has come together to throw a few fundraising events for us, a go-fund me page was started, and people have been generous to us, it’s all uplifting and positive. We are excited about giving back to the community once we get back on our feet, and we want our story to be an example of strength and prosperity to our city”.
Erick said, “This setback is the ultimate setup for the future. You live and you learn. Now we know what we need to modify in our set up to prevent this from happening again, and we have the opportunity to grow a little from this setback. For that we are thankful”.
Two fundraisers will be held Saturday.
Impact Promotions will hold one at noon at The Midfield Recreational Center (725 Bessemer Rd. Midfield, AL 35228). Donations will be collected and another fundraiser will be held at 9 p.m. at The Magnolia House (916 23rd St S. Birmingham, AL 35205). Tickets are $10, and all proceeds go to the Daniel family.
