As specialty produce distributor Sid Wainer and Son was preparing to hold a pop-up event to benefit families affected by the coronavirus, it instead had to change course following a fire that broke out in the early morning hours March 24 at a distribution center.

According to New Bedford, MA, fire officials, the fire started in a tractor-trailer on a loading dock and quickly spread to other nearby trucks, aided by strong winds. Firefighters were able to control the blaze before it could damage the building. No injuries to either firefighters or civilians were reported.

The company held a successful pop-up event over the weekend, distributing a variety of vegetables and dairy items for $1 each to more than 2,000 community members. It was looking forward to repeating the effort on March 25 prior, but will now look to reschedule.

“We are looking forward to servicing the community again with affordable fresh products at our next Food Rescue Pop-Up as soon as we can,” Gary Marcotte, director of marketing for the company, said in a statement. “Although we are faced with these challenges, we are still here to support our customers and the community through this unprecedented time our industry is experiencing. We still have your back every step of the way. We were there for you yesterday, we are here today, and tomorrow will not be any different.”

Marcotte said there was minimal smoke damage to the building, as well as a loss of some inventory, but otherwise the company was unscathed.

“We are grateful that nobody was hurt, and we truly appreciate the outpouring of support we have received from our community, the food service industry, and the produce industry,” he said in the statement. “Right now, we are focusing on taking care of our team and our customers during this difficult time.”