First coronavirus, then a fire: This Lafayette pet store owner hopes to be back better than ever - The Advocate

First coronavirus, then a fire: This Lafayette pet store owner hopes to be back better than ever - The Advocate

First coronavirus, then a fire: This Lafayette pet store owner hopes to be back better than ever - The Advocate

Posted: 08 Aug 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Much like many pet stores around the country, Aquarium Central in Lafayette had only a slight drop in business once COVID-19 hit.

Sales slumped in March but picked back up in April, owner Joey Bennett noted, once the stay-at-home mandates were issued. Much like bicycles, swimming pools and plant nurseries, the pet products industry may have moved into the recession-proof category.

"We're seeing it on a national scale," he said. "As far as hobbies go, nurseries and landscaping, anything in the pet industry — it's all at a high right now."

But things came to a halt on the night of July 7 at Bennett's store. He awoke to a call from his security company at 11:23 p.m. that it picked up motion, but it was more than that. The building had caught fire, and he had to get the animals out of the store.

He called 911 after arriving and got fire trucks on the scene. The fire was small and contained to a wall on the side of the building near the aquariums, and Lafayette Fire Department crews put out the fire.

But the smoke was overwhelming. Many of the fish in the front died from the smoke, including the tropical saltwater fish and the brightly colored coral in the display tank near the store's entrance.

They were able to get other animals — including lizards, snakes, prairie dogs — out safely.

The fire was caused by an electrical shortage, investigator Alton Trahan said.

"I was in the building at about 7 p.m. — no signs, no nothing, no smell," Bennett said. "Everything seemed normal. As far as I'm concerned, it was just random.

"I knew already when I opened the door I could hear the tanks popping. The heat was coming down. I can tell you it was about 120 degrees. Definitely in the front (of the store), it was at least 120, 140 degrees."

The surviving animals are in three locations now, and Bennett is tasked with recovery of the 3,000-square-foot store he opened five years ago. A New Iberia native with a master's degree in biology, he held a number of jobs — including aquarium maintenance, which he still does — before opening the pet store.

He's hoping he can reopen in November.

That will likely happen, said Chris Raxdale, a longtime customer who has set up a GoFundMe account for the store, which by Friday morning had raised more than $1,500.

"I don't know how he does it, but he's the calmest person I've met ever," said Raxdale, a graduate of Comeaux High School who now lives in Virginia. "He's going to move forward and figure it out. You want to talk about someone who knows what he's doing — he knows what he's doing. He knows those animals up and down."

Bennett is already looking forward to that reopening, using it as a chance at a sort of restart. He says he'll improve the store's online presence. And by then maybe the coronavirus will have less of an impact on the economy and more people will have returned to work.

The two-decades-long trend of "Pets as family," according to the U.S. Pet Market Outlook, has helped drive more sales during COVID-19. The pandemic has triggered a growth in pet adoption, including animals that aren't dogs and cats.

"I don't want to say a lot bigger, but I think things will be a lot better," he said. "Right now with the way the country is, maybe things will be easier. Maybe the whole situation will be better."

Raxdale and others want to help as much as they can. He recalled how he first met Bennett when Bennett came to his home for maintenance on his aquarium. Bennett noticed Raxdale's collection of reptiles, especially the bearded dragon and a couple of snakes, and told the then-16-year-old about his blue-tongued skink.

On Bennett's next visit, he brought Raxdale a blue-tongued skink to keep.

"I loved it so much," Raxdale said. "Especially at that time, they were very expensive. He didn't bat an eye. He's always been so important to me and taught me a lot. Whatever we've given him at this point has helped."

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