ORANGE PARK – Daniel Petty and Heather Roberts stood in the dark and watched waves of fire turn G’s Slow Smoked BBQ into a charred heap. Neither realized at that moment their ability to earn a paycheck was also going up in smoke.

“You were in shock standing there, watching it burn,” Roberts said. “You couldn’t believe it.”

The fire during the early morning of Jan. 9 destroyed the popular barbecue joint, leaving nine of 10 employees despondent and without jobs.

Petty said a lack of transportation means he has to be within walking distance to a new job. Roberts said the job market has become so competitive applicants often need vast experience or college degrees for menial tasks.

While owner Gary Park is dealing with insurance adjustors and looking for a new home for his sweet and smoky concoctions, his primary focus is on the people who suddenly became unemployed moments after Clay County Fire Rescue answered the call at 1:31 a.m.

Like Petty and Roberts, Park felt helpless watching the fire as portions of G’s fell into a pile of bright-red embers.

“First and foremost, really are my employees,” Park said. “They’re displaced, for lack of a better word. The economy is not the greatest right now to find a job.”

Petty said he’s filled out applications every day since the fire.

“I have a lot of them out there. But, so far, I haven’t had any callbacks,” he said. “It’s all very surreal. It’s been really difficult to find jobs. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s really hard to deal with because you have to accept it. You have no choice but to accept it. It was a job I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved working with the people I worked with and the customers.”

Roberts has also been filling out applications, and like Petty, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for new hires.

“I think a lot of places have raised the standards for what they expect for minimal work,” she said. “in some of the places I’ve looked into, they say they want a [bachelor’s of art] or an [associate’s of arts] degree, and that’s for entry-level stuff.”

A three-day benefit for the employees is coming together at the VFW Post 8255 in Middleburg, 2296 Aster Ave., on March 15-17. Although the itinerary is still being developed, there are initial plans for 50/50 raffles, bounce houses, silent auctions, live music, food and merchandise.

Park has also set up an account for his employees at VyStar Credit Union and GoFundMe (G’s Slow Smoked BBQ Rebuild and Employees).

Park has asked other business owners to help. His friend, Skylar Davis, hired Kayla McCloud as a Dalton’s Sports Grill server.

“I got lucky,” she said.

Park talked to another friend hours after the last fire truck left. He knew Dell Hoard Jr., a co-owner of Grumpy’s in Middleburg, had first-hand knowledge of how to help his employees while they were trying to rebuild after a fire.

Grumpy’s was destroyed on Jan. 19, 2022, by a fire in the dishwashing room. Delays caused by the pandemic delayed the reopening for a year until Jan. 2, 2023.

“I wasn’t aware of what I’m going to face,” Park said.

An immediate concern is finding a new location or learning how long it will take to rebuild at 1282 Blanding Blvd.

Park said he had two vacant locations in mind, but one wasn’t available. He hasn’t heard back about the other one.

Now, all he can do is hurry up and wait.