A fire destroyed an Amish sawmill near Brockway early this morning. We have more on the damage, and how neighbors came to help the business owner.

There’s still some wood that’s left here unscathed, but the main part of the business that the owner says he’s had here for nine years is burned up and is left in ruins.

“I was out here about 3:00 this morning, and then I went home about 7, and came back about 8:30,” says neighbor Bill Carr.

In the wake of a fire, you couldn’t ask for a better neighbor than Carr — spending hours moving debris with a backhoe he keeps for his business, and talking with firefighters to find out what to do.

“They were here when I got here and we were trying to pull the wood and stuff out and get it soaked down so it wouldn’t sit there and smolder forever,” says Carr.

After taking a break, he came back to keep moving pieces of what used to be David Byler’s sawmill, Sugar Hill Lumber in the 11000 block of Route 28.

Byler said he buys hemlock and pine logs, cuts them and sells the lumber here. He woke up overnight to the burning and crackling sound of his business burning up. Neighbors looked in awe at the damage.

“My wife woke me up about 1:00 and said Davie’s sawmill was on fire,” says neighbor Ken Holt.

We watched friends bring over an air compressor to help Byler move a piece of equipment.

“We’ve helped them out making hay and we’ve been really good neighbors of Davie and their family and it’s too bad that this happened,” says Holt’s sister and nearby resident Leona Himes.

“Me and Davie trade things. I make his hay and that for him and he gives lumber,” says Holt.

Neighbors say they’ve given the Amish family rides to visit relatives nearby. After spotting the fire at 2 a.m., Melissa Fremer couldn’t believe it was still going hours later.

“I feel bad for them, but I’m glad it wasn’t their house and that nobody was hurt,” says Fremer.

“I’m hoping they can get back on their feet,” says Himes.

Byler says he’s hoping to stay here and rebuild his business.