Rochelle’s Canoe Rental has reopened under the same tree where the family business began, less than two weeks after the Ross Fire destroyed its office and repair shop in Texas.
Owner Buddy Rochelle is running the operation from a donated recreational vehicle beside the Brazos River, after flames swept through the site in Palo Pinto County.
“Yeah, we’ve been operating since this morning,” Rochelle said.
The business lost its office, repair facilities, merchandise and some vehicles. But its customers continued to call, with Rochelle saying the family had received more than 300 emails and text messages offering support and asking whether the canoe rental would be available over the Labor Day weekend.
The reopening carries particular significance for the Rochelles. The family has owned the land since 1928, while the canoe business was established beneath the historic tree in 1969.
The Ross Fire also destroyed a family home on the property, which had stood for about a century. Rochelle said the family spent days dealing with smoke and hot spots, with the threat of further flames making it difficult to sleep.
“Smoke. Yeah, we have hot. We chased hot spots for five days here,” he said. “You sleep with one eye open.”
Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire, which began on 24 August, had burned about 90,400 acres by 4 September and destroyed 167 structures, including 18 occupied homes. The agency said investigators had determined it was human-caused and linked to equipment or vehicle use near a roadside, although they could not identify the precise source.
As firefighters continued working to contain the blaze, the Rochelle family received help from Hayley Wehunt, a teacher who designed and printed T-shirts to raise money for the business.
Wehunt said buyers were asked to donate whatever they could afford. Some gave $7, while others contributed $200, and about 200 shirts had been sold to supporters as far away as Colorado.
“I got my husband working on him as a printer, and I’m working during the day as a teacher,” she said. “I’m like, hey, I need you to print. Just keep printing.”
Rochelle said the family was grateful for the support and determined to rebuild the business from the riverbank where it began.
“We’re gonna try our best to get the ball rolling and get back up on our feet,” he said.
