BILLINGS — On March 31 in Lockwood, Garrett Halsey's life flipped upside down in an instant when he received a call that anyone would dread.
Halsey had left his food truck to pick up his kids from school and was out shopping when he received the news that his business and home was on fire.
"I rushed out there and by the time I got there they had really had the fire put out, it was about 5 o’clock by the time I got there but the fire started at about 4 P.M... It was pretty shocking, the whole sides of the trailer were burnt out, it looked pretty bad," Halsey, owner of Whole Hog Breakfast Sandwiches said.
Terrible news for any small business owner but even worse for Halsey because the camper had both living and working quarters. Doubling as both his home and place of business.
And in an instant, everything he had built was gone.
"It’s hard to say I’ve sat down and put a number to it because I kind of don’t want to know, in some cases, exactly how much I’ve lost. But I mean, everything I owned was in that trailer...At some point it did kind of set in later that night that everything I have accumulated and worked for was up in smoke," added Halsey.
But Halsey is used to overcoming adversity.
Whole Hog Breakfast Sandwiches started with a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Billings but then Covid-19 arrived, taking a toll on restaurants everywhere. Halsey adapted and took the restaurant on the road.
A business decision that was working. He spent summers set up at the KOA campground and winters out on the property of Planet Lockwood.
But now he’ll have to pivot again.
"He’s one of those people that even days after the incident happened, I saw him at the mall and he was still smiling and still cheerful, even though you knew he was going through a lot. He’s such an inspirational person," said Whole Hog Customer Cierra Craven.
Halsey mentioned that Craven has been one his most loyal customers.
"I was worried about him and his well-being of course. That’s his livelihood, that where he lives and he’s a father and a small business owner," added Craven.
It appears an electrical issue sparked the fire and Halsey estimates he lost at least $20,000 in equipment. He said he's currently unsure what insurance will cover.
Despite that, he’s looking forward, vowing to bounce back yet again.
"As far as things go, you can’t get too down and out about things, you kind of just have to pick yourself up and keep going.... I’ll find another way and I know the people out there are ready for it and I’ll get back to it... I will be back out here in the near future and still serving my sandwiches," Halsey said.
If you would like to donate to help Halsey, there is a GoFundMe set up.
