Sky High store damaged, neighboring businesses pivot following Tuesday's fire, explosion in Medford

MEDFORD, Ore — Business owners in the area of Tuesday’s fire explosion at Pacific Pride gas station in Medford, find themselves adjusting during temporary closures.

Sky High Smoke N Accessories is located on the 900 block of S Central Ave – just a few feet away from the commercial gas station. The store, along with other businesses in the area, suffered damages from the fast-moving fire.

Co-owner Bobby Painter shared that he’s unsure as to how much was lost in the store, but believes it’s not as devastating as it could have been. Painter highlighted that the fire brought up uneasy memories of the Almeda fire in 2020.

“Tuesday night was scary, a nightmare, and still surreal,” Painter told NBC5 on Thursday. “It was crazy, I got a random call and wasn’t expecting to hearing there was a fire. That’s all it took for me to jump out of bed. After the fires we just had like the Almeda fire, it brought up flashbacks for sure. ”

Sky High opened its newest store on the two-thousand block of West Main Street in November of 2021. Because of the damage and ongoing road closures near the scene, the business temporarily relocated to the new location.

Made To Fade Barber Shoppe is in a business complex on the same street. Marc Farrell, owner of the shop, said his staff were forced to relocate to another building because of the toxic chemicals.

“It was a pretty stressful night,” Farrell said. “I made my way over to the shop to grab some things and it was pretty bad. There was oil and gas everywhere and it’s something I’ve never seen before.”

Both Painter and Farrell said they were notified from emergency crews that they could potentially return by Saturday. However, the owners believe it could take longer because of the extent of the damage and environmental impact.

This remains a developing story, and more details will be released as it emerges.