Owner estimates $1 million in damages after fire rips through King’s Supermarket in Richmond

by: Kassidy Hammond

Posted: Feb 27, 2023 / 08:33 AM EST

Updated: Feb 27, 2023 / 11:32 AM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A 38-year-old staple of Southside Richmond, King's Supermarket, will reportedly be closed for a few days due to a fire early Monday morning.

The fire began at the grocery store, located in southside Richmond, at 2102 Keswick Avenue, around 5:30 a.m. 8News spoke with the store owner, John Jeong, who says he lost everything in the blaze.

"I woke up at 5:26 in the morning and the alarm company called be alerting me something is going on in the store," Jeong said. "They wanted to ask me to call the police, and I said absolutely and called the police."

The full-service grocery store had meat, dairy, produce and more, and Jeong estimates there are at least a million dollars in damages. He says his grocery store is the only one for miles and is upset at how his store's closure will impact his community's ability to get food.

"I am so sorry for them [customers and employees] because I have been here for 38 years and this is the only full-service grocery store here," Jeong said, "We have dairy, meat, frozen food, deli. We have about 1,000 people in the store every day."

Tawuna Terry, a store customer, says King's Supermarket is a cornerstone of the community, providing groceries to those in the area. The store lies next to an area zoned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an "urban food desert," meaning supermarkets are found more than a mile away.

"People come from all across town to shop for groceries," Terry explained. "There are no other grocery stores in the neighborhood and are going to wake up and need groceries and they will not be able to do it."

A spokesperson for the fire department said the second-alarm fire is currently under investigation.

Jeong told 8News that while there's nothing he can do now, thankfully, he does have insurance for the store.

No injuries were reported due to the blaze.

This breaking news story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

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