‘We will overcome this': Fire damages barn at Bishop's Orchards in Guilford

Over the Easter weekend, fire tore through a barn at Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford, destroying their event space right before their busy season.

The fire started Saturday night inside the “Little Red Barn.” The cause is still under investigation, but Guilford’s fire chief said it was accidental.

“[It was] a crazy scene to watch. You see these things on TV and it’s everyone’s worst nightmare,” said owner and co-chief operating officer Sarah Bishop Dellaventura. “When it’s actually your house or your business, it’s just another emotion all together that you can’t explain or describe and no one knows it until you’ve actually been through it.”

Dellaventura said she rushed down to the scene after receiving an alert from the business’s alarm company. She sat with the farm’s animals – llamas, goats and chickens – while first responders worked to put out the flames. No one, including the animals, was injured.

“They were untouched,” she said. “I was here the entire time with them as this fire was here, as the smoke was billowing out, the air drift was going in the other direction for them. They seemed completely unphased.”

Inside, the barn is gutted. It’s a space where Bishop’s Orchards hosts private events, like showers and volunteer events for non-profit organizations, and they’d offer live music on weekends during warmer months.

“The Little Red Barn, for us, it’s like this iconic image as part of the family business as Bishop’s. This space, it literally is an art community center,” Dellaventura said. “We have live events here, we do trivia nights, we do live music on Friday and Saturday nights all through the summer, fall months.”

The weekly events had become a staple in the community. Dellaventura said they had 60 concerts booked, and just under a dozen private events.

“It’s a lovely place to hang out outside and meet neighbors,” said Eric Wolff, of Guilford. “It’s a shame to happen now just as the season’s beginning to ramp up. There’s not a lot to do in Guilford like that. Guilford isn’t an entertainment center. We don’t have a movie theater and that sort of thing, so it really is a center for people to gather.”

The farm dates back to the 1800s and is a popular spot to shop for groceries. On Monday, customers were shocked to learn what had happened a few nights prior.

“I grew up in Guilford so I’ve always come into Bishop’s throughout my life,” said Jennifer Hart. “I have a sentimental attachment to Bishop’s.”

“I try and stop here always because the variety of food is so terrific,” said Anne Borland, of New York City. “It feels like a community, and it feels like they know a lot of people and the people who work here seem to be very friendly and know a lot of the customers.”

While they aren’t sure whether or not they’ll be able to repair the barn or if they’ll build a new one, what Dellaventura said she is sure about is that they’ll get through this hurdle.

“We’ve done this for a long time and we’re no strangers to hiccups in the road or things that are thrown at us as a business, specifically because we’re farmers,” she said. “We’re used to weather elements, hurricanes, floods, droughts, you name it -- so we’ve overcome those, and we will overcome this.”