HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – On Dec. 30, Vansauwa’s Tacos & Vegan Eats food trailer caught fire and had to close temporarily due to the significant damage.

“I turned the grill on, letting everything warm up, and I start seeing smoke coming from under the trailer,” said Zirconia Vansauwa, one of the owners of the food truck. “I want to thank Hopkinsville Fire Department for getting there as fast as they did. They had to rip out that back wall and part of our ceiling.”

Zirconia and her husband Desaepa have been serving Caribbean food to Hopkinsville with Vansauwa’s Tacos & Vegan Eats for six years. The day of the fire was their first day opening after a long break following the birth of their baby in October. After smoke was seen coming from the truck, they tried to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Flames popped out from behind the sheet metal, and the wrap of the trailer started to melt. HFD arrived soon after.

“One thing I’m happy about is everyone got out safely. We hadn’t even opened yet, if we had been serving, we would have no idea it was on fire until it was too late,” said Zirconia. “Right now, we are just counting our blessings, thinking, planning.”

The couple is waiting to hear from their insurance company so they can begin repairs. In the meantime, the business is fighting on.

“This is our livelihood … we started out in a tent with tables and pop-up griddle, so we know how to pivot back to that set up,” said Zirconia.

The duo has pop up events posted on the Vansauwa’s Tacos & Vegan Eats Facebook page at Hopkinsville Brewing Company this month, where they will be serving Caribbean burrito bowls inside, without the truck.

“For small businesses, support is everything,” Zirconia told Christian County Now. “We personally want to say thank you for all the support throughout the years, and we hope people will continue to support us as we rebuild.”

They hope the community will stick by them during this transition. Merch is for sale for people who wish to financially support them, including a “hottest of the block” shirt that has unintentionally become an ironic keepsake for how their 2023 ended.

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