Altavista Veterans Day event canceled after devastating fire; DJ loses stage and equipment

ALTAVISTA, Va. (WDBJ) - A fire at the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista forced the cancellation of Monday’s Veterans Day event and left unanswered questions in its wake.

Early Sunday morning, emergency responders were called to the National Center for Healthy Veterans on Wards Road. By the time they arrived, flames had engulfed the main barn.

The Campbell County Department of Public Safety confirmed two animals died in the fire, which also caused a total loss of the barn. Nobody was injured, but the fire has left its mark on the center and the community that supports it.

“He called and said I’m sorry to tell you this, but the building caught fire and the stage is gone, everything is gone, so it was kind of gut-wrenching,” said Russell Prusak, co-owner of Flex LLC Va.

Prusak, a DJ who has helped run the Veterans Day event’s stage for years, lost his stage equipment in the fire. That stage was their very first stage, and holds a special meaning to him and his small business.

“It was the stage that started out our staging business, it kind of means more because it was the first one and it’s seen and been in many different settings that has helped people from all over,” said Prusak.

The fire meant the annual Veterans Day event at Valor Farms, where big-name guests previously gathered to honor and call attention to our veterans, would not go on as planned this year. Still, Russell and others are determined to support the center and its mission, in whatever comes next to rebuild.

“I mean, you know, they lost everything; that was huge, and it’s something that is going to take a long time to rebuild, a stage while it was our first and it is a big deal for us.,. it was something that can be replaced,” said Prusak.

The fire is still under investigation, and though the Veterans Day event didn’t happen this year, the county’s dedication to honoring our veterans remains strong.

Officials at the center declined to speak on camera Monday, but will hold a news conference Tuesday.