By Josh Mitchell
Corinth Today News Editor
A factory with a presence in Corinth for more than 30 years was destroyed in a fire Thursday afternoon.
No one was hurt in the fire that engulfed Palmer-Handrail at 35 County Road 324, south of U.S. Highway 72 and west of Glen, said Ricky Gibens, Alcorn County fire services coordinator.
About eight fire departments responded to the factory that manufactured handrails and wood trim for upscale nursing homes and retirement facilities.
Brenda Palmer said her husband, Brent, owned the factory and that she had just picked him up from occupational therapy in Corinth when an employee called to say the building was on fire.
There were five people in the building when the fire started, Brenda Palmer said.
She and her husband have been through a lot lately. He was severely injured in a head-on crash in Texas in June when a woman in another vehicle reportedly drove in the wrong direction down the interstate. The woman was killed in the crash, and Palmer is still in a wheelchair.
Despite the serious wreck and the loss of the factory to a fire, Brenda Palmer said, “God is good” and that she trusts Him.
She noted that her husband is getting better and is expected to walk again. They are also grateful no one was hurt in the fire.
Brenda Palmer said they bought the building in 1984, and prior to that it was a block factory.
“It’s an old building,” said Palmer, who estimated the size at about 20,000 square feet.
She is sorry the fire happened and said she “broke down” for a few minutes. She had to “give it to God.”
Gibens said it was unknown what caused the fire. But Brent Palmer said the fire started in connection with an exhaust motor on a wood finishing booth.
The Palmers were unsure how they would proceed with their business after the fire. They do have an adjacent facility that could be used, but the fire consumed big equipment, such as a molder. The factory had five employees on the payroll.
The blaze occurred in Glen Fire Department’s territory. Other departments that responded were Biggersville, Farmington, Kossuth, Southwest, Rienzi, Pisgah and Corinth. The Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office and Magnolia Ambulance also responded.
This was the second major fire in Alcorn County this week. A warehouse on U.S. Highway 72 East in Corinth was also destroyed by fire early Monday.
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