Overview
- A fire that began in late August 2025 badly damaged the renovated Kress building in Laurel, Mississippi, destroying finishes and delaying the planned opening of the 29-room Heirloom Hotel.
- The hotel’s owners and their HGTV 'framily' discussed their months of grief and their intention to rebuild on The Heirloom Podcast on June 7, 2026, and said they are still planning next steps without a set timeline.
- The group says a Liberty Mutual insurance claim has not been approved and that the lack of an approved claim is the primary barrier to large-scale reconstruction.
- Owners declined to launch a public GoFundMe and asked fans to instead support local fire victims; small grassroots efforts such as selling photo rails made from salvaged flooring and offers of volunteer help have followed the TV exposure.
- The project matters to downtown Laurel’s economic and cultural revival, and the owners said they are weighing whether any future rebuild would be documented on HGTV as they finalize plans and wait on the insurer.