STILLWATER, Okla. — A young Stillwater man who has spent years building a successful lawn care operation found himself devastated when wildfires swept through the area on Friday, destroying his business and much of the equipment he had invested in.
Corbin Lacy, 20, had developed a thriving lawn care company in Stillwater, employing a team of workers and using high-end commercial equipment, including trailers, mowers, and leaf loaders. The equipment, which Lacy had meticulously gathered over time, was stored in a metal building just off Highway 51—an area where wildfires ravaged the land last week.
Lacy’s business was estimated to be worth around $150,000, with his equipment playing a vital role in providing services to customers across the region. Among the tools lost were large commercial mowers, leaf vacuum equipment, and various other machines essential for his day-to-day operations.
“It’s a huge loss,” Lacy said. “A lot of money invested into it, and to see it all gone is devastating.”
The equipment was more than just a business asset to Lacy—it was the foundation for his ability to help others. Just last fall, he and his fraternity brothers from Farmhouse traveled to Butler, Tennessee to assist with recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. With a deep-seated desire to help his community, Lacy had hoped to use his equipment once again to give back, but the wildfires took that possibility away.
On Saturday, Lacy received a phone call from his father with the heartbreaking news: the shop and all its contents had been destroyed in the fires.
“He was like, ‘You need to get here now.’ I thought he was kidding at first,” Lacy recalled. “But it was no joke. I got there, and it was all gone.”
The shed that housed the equipment also stored flammable materials necessary for powering the machines, which compounded the risk in the face of the wildfires. Many of the machines, including weed-eaters and push mowers, were reduced to nothing but melted remnants.
“The weed-eaters are just a straight rod now. They look like a piece of rebar. The mowers were really good, but they’re gone,” Lacy said, pointing to the charred remains of his once-thriving equipment.
Despite the overwhelming setback, Lacy remains determined. His dedication to his business and his community, which he has shown time and again, continues to guide him even through this immense loss. However, the path to recovery will be long, and Lacy will need support from both family and friends as he works to rebuild his life and business.
As Lacy looks to the future, the community he’s helped so much in the past may be called upon once again to assist him in his time of need.
