Decatur family’s food truck destroyed by fire one day before grand opening
Family had planned Independence Day launch for ‘The International Passport to Deliciousness’
PRICEVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A Decatur family’s food truck caught on fire and was destroyed Thursday, one day before its scheduled Independence Day grand opening.
Raymond Clay had planned to open “The International Passport to Deliciousness” in Priceville on July 4. While the family was making final preparations, a generator caught fire and engulfed the truck.
“I was in there, and I was just getting ready and stuff, and then all the power shut off and I was like, ‘That’s strange. Is it supposed to do that?’” said Clay’s daughter, Jasmine. “I turned to look through the window, and I see flames coming out.”
Clay said the fire got out of hand quickly, and there was nothing they could do.
“By the time the fire department got here like, it was just ablaze,” Clay said. “The whole front end was gone. Like, everything was gone.”
Clay said he had spent 15 years saving to open the food truck business. Over the past year and a half, he worked 100-hour weeks, including shifts at Decatur Morgan Hospital, to fund the venture.
“I became a nurse to have the income to do it, and I would work, save and buy a little bit,” he said. “It’s been nothing but blood, sweat and tears, man.”
Clay said he has insurance but does not expect it to cover more than a third of his losses.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported. Clay and his family are looking past this major setback to what really matters: each other.
“So what, I lost everything? I didn’t lose what was most important to me, which is my babies,” he said. “It’s really all that matters.”
His stepson, Tanner Edens, agreed.
“My siblings are safe, and I know that we learn from it. We spend a lot of time bonding as a crew,” Edens said. “I just thank God for the learning curves that hit me, all the time that I got to spend growing, growing a stronger relationship with my stepdad over the years.”
The Clay family set up a GoFundMe on Thursday for anyone who wants to donate toward rebuilding the food truck.
Click Here to Subscribe on YouTube: Watch the latest WAFF 48 news, sports & weather videos on our YouTube channel!
Copyright 2026 WAFF. All rights reserved.
