COLQUITT, Ga. (WALB) - A massive fire destroyed The Corn Crib in Miller County, wiping out a well-known South Georgia produce shop overnight and leaving the owner facing a total loss.

Two drivers who happened to pass by the blaze said they could not ignore what they saw.

Smoke on the road, a quick decision to turn around

Marvin Thomas Jr. said he was traveling when he noticed thick smoke coming from a building near the roadway.

“I was just driving down the road… I just seen a whole bunch of smoke coming from a building,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he initially questioned whether he was seeing things because he was tired from his drive.

“I said ‘maybe I’m just seeing anything.’ I said, ‘no, I really think that’s smoke,’” he recalled.

Thomas pulled over but said he could not turn around because he was driving a truck and trailer. Instead, he said a friend traveling behind him helped.

“I had a buddy following behind me… and I jumped in the car with him,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he urged his friend to turn back.

“I told him, ‘Hey, man, I think I seen that house on fire or something. We need to turn around,’” he said.

Thomas said his friend, Chris Garcia, is a firefighter.

‘Second nature’: firefighter instincts take over

Garcia said he didn’t initially notice the fire because he was focused on the road and following Thomas.

“Actually, I wasn’t paying attention to it. I was paying attention to driving. I was following Marvin,” Garcia said.

Garcia said Thomas asked him to turn around after pulling over.

“He said, ‘Man, you didn’t see that fire?’… I was like, honestly, I was looking at the GPS,” Garcia said.

When they returned, Garcia said they saw smoke—not overwhelming at first, but clearly not normal.

“You can see, like, smoke. It wasn’t a substantial amount, but it was smokey,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he immediately started looking for ways to help while Thomas called 911.

“I was looking for a garden hose or something like that… trying to see if there was anybody around,” Garcia said.

Garcia said his training kicked in.

“You know, I’m a firefighter… for the federal government for 24 years… so… my experience… and my civil duty… just natural reaction… just took over,” he said.

Calling for help, doing what they could

Thomas said once they got closer, the smoke was intensifying and the fire was about to “take off.”

While Garcia moved in to help, Thomas said he called police to get firefighters on the way.

Thomas said Garcia found a hose, but it was too small to make a major difference. Thomas said they also checked to make sure no one was inside.

“We already checked to make sure there was nobody inside because I didn’t know what kind of building it was at first,” he said.

‘God placed me on his earth to help people’

Thomas said stopping to help is part of who he is.

“Anyone that knows me knows that I love to serve the community,” he said.

Thomas said he is the vice president of the IBRU Motorcycle Club in Albany and described community service as a regular part of his life.

“God placed me on his earth to help people,” Thomas said.

Still, he said it was difficult to watch someone lose what they built.

“It made me feel good, but also, at the same time, it was sad… because you don’t know how hard [the owners] worked to get to where they are,” he said.

A video that helped reach the owner

Thomas said he began recording and sharing what was happening, hoping it would help get the word to the right people.

“Luckily, I’m glad I did start recording because when I started recording, a bunch of people got on and someone knew where I was and they knew the owner,” he said.

He said viewers helped contact the owner, and she rushed to the scene — but Thomas left before he got to meet her.

Family arrives to find ‘total loss’

Guy Heard, the son of the owner, said his mother called him just before midnight with the news.

“Oh, that was horrible. My mama called me at 11:37… said that our store had caught fire,” Heard said. “By the time I made it the 15-minute drive, it had completely burned… just total loss of everything.”

A South Georgia staple with customers across multiple states

Heard said the family started small and grew through word of mouth—drawing customers from far beyond Southwest Georgia.

“We have people drive from Louisiana, from Ohio, Minnesota, all over the place with coolers and ice chests just to buy from us,” he said.

What caused the fire?

Heard said the building was old—originally built decades ago—and has been remodeled and expanded over time. He said the fire’s cause has not been confirmed, but officials have told the family that it may have started with electrical issues in the cooler room.

Rebuilding plans and how to help

Heard said the family is already working on a plan to get back up and running so that customers will not have to go a year without their produce and corn.

“I have another building that I’ve purchased… We’ve got to go in there and completely remodel it… get the coolers and everything set up,” he said. “We just have to… transfer everything from one site to the next."

Heard said he appreciates first responders for their quick response.

He added that donations can be made through GoFundMe.

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