HEBER SPRINGS, Ark — Farmers and ranchers in Cleburne County are scrambling after their only livestock auction barn caught fire Monday.
Even though no people or animals were hurt, the people doing business there call it a loss.
"It kind of chokes you up a little," Rigsby Rayford said.
Rayford described Wilf's Cleburne County Livestock Auction in Heber Springs as his second home.
"I've been going to these sales whenever somebody's here, I'm here," Rayford said. "It's my favorite sale barn. It always has been."
Usually, you'd find him there every Monday, even if he didn't plan to buy or sell cattle.
"It's a sanctuary kind of," Rayford said. "Everybody comes here to visit even if you don't have cattle."
Rayford's plans changed Monday as the building went up in flames just minutes before the cattle sale was set to start.
It started in the kitchen.
"I hate it," Rayford said. "It's not just me. I've got a buddy who comes up here that sits with me... I thought he was going to cry."
The barn's co-owner, Blake Wilf, said it was all hands on deck moving the cattle out as quickly as possible. Thanks to another sale barn, they still had the auction.
"We decided to take them to Clinton," Wilf said. "We let everything cool off and got them under fans with some water. We started to sell up there at six o'clock or so."
Wilf said several other barns called him to offer help.
"To put all that together that fast and get it moved was a team effort," Wilf said.
Wilf became the owner in May, taking over a barn that other families owned for generations.
Although the material history is gone, he still holds onto the memories.
"I'm hoping to build back, and as long as everybody works with me, we plan on being here and building back," Wilf said.
Rayford can't wait for that day.
"I'll just be glad when they get it going again," Rayford said.
The owner said the building's a total loss.
As he plans to rebuild, he hopes to have a temporary sale location soon. In the meantime, the nearest auction barn is about 30 miles away, so cattle buyers will have to travel a little further.
Wilf said he is still trying to get ahold of some of the cattle owners from Monday before the fire started.
He encourages them to reach out to him directly at 501-230-8880.