ORANGE PARK — Carolyn and Sandy were looking forward to going to work on Saturday because there was supposed to be a Memorial Day weekend barbecue. Instead, they watched in disbelief from a parking lot next door as firemen continued to sort through the rubble at Hagan ACE Hardware to extinguish hot spots from a fire that swept through the popular store Friday, May 23.

The blaze was so intense that it took units from the Clay County and Jacksonville Fire Rescue, Orange Park Fire Department and NAS-JAX Emergency Services more than five hours to control it. Many hydrants needed to extinguish the fire were positioned across the roadway, necessitating the closure of Blanding Boulevard for 14 hours until 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

The fire was reported at 6:47 p.m., minutes before the store was scheduled to close.

“I worked Friday, but I got off at 3,” Carolyn said. “When I heard about the fire, I called my boss. I didn’t get an answer, and I understand why. Right now, I’m just in shock. We all are. We are all family here. I’m sure things will be all right, but we’re all hurting right now.”

“It’s hard to believe,” Sandy said. “I’m in shock. We all really loved working there.”

According to employees, someone said a fire was in the back room. Someone attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but the fire was too big. Managers quickly called 911 and evacuated the store.

According to CCFR, one Orange Park Fire Department fireman was taken to HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital with a heat-related medical emergency, but nobody else was injured. The department said he was released Sunday morning.

While the fire swept through the store, it ravaged the outside storage behind it. This area was where many items were stored, and trucks were unloaded. The blaze caused the structure to collapse, and crews were still spraying water at 11 a.m. Saturday — 16 hours after the fire was reported.

It’s not known whether it originated in the outside storage area and moved inside, or if it started inside.

Once the crews arrived, the fire was already out of control.

"We are giving this everything we have," said Clay County Fire Rescue spokesperson Laura Christmas. "We are calling in extra resources."

A concern was some of the store's contents, which included propane, chlorine, lithium batteries, fertilizers, butane and other potentially toxic materials. Clay County Fire Rescue's Hazardous Materials team remained on site on Saturday.

The store at 1022 Blanding Blvd. was the headquarters for Hagan's group of 11 stores. In part, the company posted the following statement:

“The outpouring of love and support has been amazing. This building wasn’t just a ‘store’ for us. For the past 45 years, it has been our ‘home base,’ a place we have created some of our best memories at Hagan Ace. It’s so wonderful to see it has been a place of joy for so many of you, too.

"As we navigate through this … please be patient with us. Because our main computers run through headquarters, our other locations might experience a few hiccups in the coming days. We thank you in advance for your understanding.”

The corporate office stated that it was making arrangements to assist the store's 33 employees and 12 corporate employees who worked there. It also vowed to rebuild at the exact location.

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

Hagan ACE also has stores at 1305 N. Orange Ave. in Green Cove Springs and 1480 Park Ave. in Orange Park.