Ed’s Truck Stop looking to rise from the ashes of Sunday fire in Poulan

POULAN – The regulars who will miss the morning gatherings, banter and, of course, the famous hamburger steak, may have to wait to return to the venerable Ed’s Truck Stop here, but the initial plans are to repair or rebuild the structure damaged by a Sunday-afternoon fire.

Worth County Fire/Rescue received the call of a fire at the restaurant on U.S. Highway 82 at 1:03 p.m. and the first truck was there within three minutes, as some customers unaware of the blaze continued eating in one of the dining areas, according to Ray Salter, who serves as the county’s fire, EMS and emergency management chief.

Fire damage was contained to an area where there were some turkeys in smokers and one of the dining areas, Salter said,

What’s stuck out to owner Gail Lee is the reaction of the community in the wake of the fire. One individual has set up a GoFundMe account “to help cover my employees, whatever we can do for them and to help with the loss of funds. They’re designing a T-shirt – ‘Ed Strong’ – with proceeds going to benefit employees.”

Ed’s is an institution in the community, dating back about six decades when original owner Ed Souter, who still owns the building that is leased to Lee, bought the building. Lee, a former employee, has operated the restaurant since 2017.

“We’re an icon here,” Lee said. “We’ve been here 60-something years. Ed’s is an icon here in Worth County. The older people meet here. Yes, this affected me; it’s affected Mr. Ed, it’s affected my employees, but it’s affected the community, too.”

When Lee traveled to Tifton for breakfast on Monday morning, employees at Jojo’s restaurant in Tifton expressed their sympathy.

In addition to the fund and plans to sell T-shirts, other people also are looking at ways to assist with the recovery, she said.

“The community has really pulled up and supported us,” Lee said “They’re calling us to see what they can do for us. We thank everybody for being so supportive of us. We appreciate all the prayers.”

While she spoke with an Albany Herald reporter, Lee was waiting on an evaluation of the damage and for the arrival of insurance company representatives.

The cause of the fire had not yet been determined, the fire chief said on Monday morning. About 15 Worth County firefighters were joined by five from the Sylvester Fire Department to fight the blaze, which was knocked down relatively quickly.

No injuries have been reported from the fire, which caused smoke damage throughout the building.

“It’s real bad at one end, but it’s really salvageable on one side,” Salter said. “I think it could be a quick turnaround on that end, the structure and all.”

Over the years, Ed’s has been a big booster for emergency workers in the county, he said.

“It’s just a sad day for us,” the fire chief said. “They’ve always been there when we have major events in our community (like) a fire or a wreck. Ed’s always feeding all the public safety personnel. They’re really good to us.

“That thing has been there a long time. It’s a landmark in our community.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]