Video: West Point Stockyard Fire

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WEST POINT, Miss.(WCBI)–The West Point Stockyard Auction House is destroyed by an early morning fire.

West Point Fire fighters were back at the scene Thursday cooling down remaining hot spots while sifting through the burned out rubble for answers.

A motorist passing by called 911 and just prior to four am, firefighters were immediately at the scene of the burning building that was fully involved.

“Nobody was inside the building at the time. Nobody was hurt. We were able to remove the livestock to the back side of the building to keep them from getting damaged or injured. And basically backed off, cut the fire off to stop it to where you could see it back there,” said Chief Ken Wilbourne/West Point Fire Department.

About 25 employees work at the stockyard. Since 1949 there has been a customer base of farmers and cattlemen marketing livestock at the location from within a 100 mile radius of North Mississippi and West Alabama to do business.

“Basically what we do, we are a commission business. We market cattle for individuals. We draw a commission, they get their check and we are just an agent,” said Mike Gentry/Sale Barn Co OwnerMike Gentry/Sale Barn Co Owner.

At the present time there is no official word on what caused of the blaze, having destroyed a familiar place citizens of West Point have come to know and appreciate.

“My guess with the wind, the way everything is blowing and the way it was collapsed. And it was somewhere up toward the front of the building. Which is possibly where the office area is,” said Chief Ken Wilbourne.

“Anytime you loose something that you’ve worked for pretty hard its kind of hard to accept. But life goes on. We’ll build it back and start again,” said Mike Gentry/Co Owner-Sale Barn.

There is no official cause of the blaze under investigation, owners of the sale barn are hoping to be back operating at that same spot within two to four months.