At 2 a.m. on Feb. 6, Robin and Keith Willoughby of Lugoff woke up to see their barn fully engulfed in flames.
“I remember running to the back door, seeing the blaze and screaming for Keith,” Robin recalled.

The Willoughbys own and operate Wil-Moore Farms and provide a variety of products, including eggs, to the local market. They are active vendors in both the Kershaw County Farmers Market as well as Columbia’s all-local farmers market.

While the family is thankful no other buildings were affected by the flames, it was devastating for business.

The Willoughbys saw a sharp increase in egg sales after the salmonella outbreak from eggs last year.

Because of that increase, the Willoughbys invested in more chickens to keep up with the growing demand.

“Customers can drop by and see our chickens. They know exactly where their eggs are coming from when they buy from us,” Robin said.

Come spring, Robin said, the birds lost in the fire would have really been producing a lot of eggs.

“We can hardly keep up with filling orders now,” Robin said. At their highest point, they were providing 1100 eggs a day.

Robin explained they think it was an electrical problem that caused the fire.

Unfortunately, the Willoughbys insurance coverage didn’t cover the loss of the barn. The structure was more than 250 feet from the home, so it didn’t fall under homeowners insurance. It also isn’t on the Willoughbys “farm property,” leaving it exempt from coverage.

“As awful as this is, it has made other farmers look closer into what their insurance covers. We know quite a few people who have had to make a change since this happened,” she said.

The barn wasn’t all the Willoughbys lost in the flames. It was also where Robin stored many of her holiday decorations, some of which were passed down to her from her father.

“It’s overwhelming at times, to think about what we lost, but we have strong faith and we try to keep everything in perspective,” she said.

Since the fire, the Willoughbys have seen how much their services mean to the community.

“There aren’t that many small farmers around here, and we consider all our customers part of our extended family. It’s touching how many people have reached out to help us,” she said. “It is wonderful and humbling to see how supportive everyone has been.”

The Willougbys didn’t waste any time clearing away the debris and collecting scrap metal from around the site.

“It was devastating to see the burned out shell,” Robin said.

Robin said between family, friends and neighbors, they had a “scrap metal party.”

“We rented a Dumpster, had fellowship, even took bets on how much the container would weigh when we were finished,” Robin laughed.

In a week, nothing was left but a sandy, singed area where the barn used to be.

The Willoughbys plan to build a new barn – a metal one – as soon as they can.

Customers and other vendors at the Columbia all-local farmers market have come together to help raise money for the Willoughbys to construct the new barn.

A fund has been set up at Arthur State Bank for donations. A Mardi Gras parade and ball fundraiser is planned for Saturday in Columbia. The event will take place from 3 to 11 p.m. and all the proceeds will go toward Wil-Moore Farms. For more information, visit www.mardigrascolumbia.org or email stateplate@gmail.com.