HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier and their friends had been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the Heirloom Hotel when a fire broke out in August. Now they’re in the process of rebuilding, with a new video revealing the extensive damage that was done to their hotel.
Erin Napier on The Heirloom Hotel Fire: ‘Today Feels Like a Funeral’
On August 26, a fire broke out at the Heirloom Hotel, which the Napiers were renovating with friends Jim and Mallorie Rasberry and Josh and Emily Nowell. At the time, Erin shared the heartbreaking news and uncertainty about the future.
“After so much celebration last week, today my best friends @malraz, Jim, and @joshuanowell lost their labor of love, their dream, @theheirloom.us hotel in an early morning fire,” Napier wrote in an Instagram post.
She continued, “Before they ever even welcomed the first guest. Praise God, no one was inside. We held each other and watched while the brave fire fighters from the Laurel FD worked for hours to get it under control.”
“Today feels like a funeral. But I know these people. They won’t give up here,” Napier shared. “I don’t know what will happen next or if you’ll ever get to see this @hgtv show now. I don’t know much of anything. Pray for my friends and family, please. It is hard to explain how this reverberates through our town and its progress in many ways.”
The HGTV star added, “But I know God has a plan for this setback. He always knows the way, even when we don’t.”
The Latest Heirloom Hotel Rebuild Update Reveals Destruction
Since then, they have been rebuilding the hotel — and there’s a lot of work ahead of them due to the extensive damage.
On October 16, Josh Nowell took to Instagram to share a look at the progress they’re making, revealing the destruction from the fire.
“If the Lord’s willing, we will keep building!” the caption noted.
In the video, Nowell types on Heirloom Hotel stationary: “We built with sweat, hope, and much love through many trials.”
The video cuts to scenes of their initial work on the hotel, then returns to the typewriter. “And then it was gone,” he types.
The footage then shows firemen on the scene as smoke and flames pour out of the building and water streaming down stairs.
Nowell considers his next sentence, then types, “So what will we do now?” The video includes scenes of the damage, from water-filled cups to broken windows.
“The only thing we can do … keep building,” he concludes.
The video shows the Heirloom sign with a backdrop of the charred rooftop, then ends with the following typed on paper: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands — establish the work of our hands.”
“Keep building,” the video notes.
My heart breaks for you all. I hope you’re able to keep on building.