Ben and Erin Napier are feeling the love as fans and famous friends support them and their community through an extremely tough loss. On the morning of August 26, 2025, a massive fire broke out at the brand-new hotel the HGTV superstars were preparing to open with their tight-knit circle of friends in Laurel, Mississippi.
Just days before, the Napiers and two other couples who are their dear friends and business partners — Jim and Mallorie Rasberry (Jim is Erin’s cousin, and Mallorie is her longtime bestie) and Josh and Emily Nowell — had unveiled the Heirloom Hotel and shared the news of an upcoming HGTV show they’d been filming about the hotel.
“Today feels like a funeral,” Erin wrote in an Instagram post on August 26, describing how they’d huddled with their friends that morning, and “held each other and watched while the brave fire fighters from the Laurel FD worked for hours to get it under control.”
Sarah Baeumler Tells Erin Napier Their ‘HGTV Family’ Can Help Them Rebuild
The Napiers, Rasberrys, and Nowells were showered with love and sympathy from HGTV stars and countless fans, many who feel like they know the other couples from their appearances on “Home Town.”
“100 Day Dream Home” star Brian Kleinschmidt wrote in the comment section of Erin’s post, “This breaks my heart. 🙏 I know how much hard work and passion went into this project. Thank God no one was hurt. Anything can be fixed…anyone can’t be.”
On a post about the fire on the Heirloom Hotel’s account, Kleinschmidt also wrote, “What can Mika and I do to help? 🙏”
Hundreds of fans liked a comment from “Fixer to Fabulous” star Jenny Marrs, who wrote, “Oh Erin. I’m so so sorry. Praying right now for you all. 💔🙏”
Many were also touched by a message from HGTV’s Sarah Baeumler, who offered, “So sorry 😢 Sending thoughts and prayers to you and @theheirloom.us ♥️ We can rebuild – together – as one @hgtv family.”
One fan responded to Baeumler, “How sweet of you to say ‘we’ can rebuild. That just goes to show how much of a family you really are to each other!🥹”
Another replied, “Yes, you have so much love around you and your town. I’m sure everyone would love to anything they could from fundraising or donating to buying Heirloom swag—anything we can do to help rebuild. We believe in the magic of Laurel and the love and strength of this community. ❤️❤️❤️”
Erin Napier Encouraged Her Followers to ‘Heap Your Love’ on Their Close Friends
As fans and friends flooded the Napiers with love, Erin asked that people also send love to their friends, who spearheaded the Heirloom Hotel project. Jim and Josh worked behind the scenes, and launched the “Heirloom” podcast in June (which Ben and Erin have both appeared on), while Mallorie — who has appeared on many episodes of “Home Town” helping Erin with projects — became the face of the hotel, overseeing much of its design and hospitality elements.
In an Instagram Story on August 26, Erin wrote, “Today Laurel is grieving. My best friends and family are suffering. Their hotel, the @heirloom.us, burned this morning. Heap your love on the ones who have been building this for the last two years: @joshuanowell, @malraz, and my cousin Jim Rasberry.”
On another Story, she shared Heirloom Hotel’s post about the fire and wrote, “Down but not out.”
The group’s restoration of the Kress Building was going to be shown in a new HGTV spinoff series called “Home Town: Inn This Together.” According to HGTV press materials, they transformed the 25,000-square-foot space into a 30-room hotel with a cooking school, storefront, and all the quaint design features fans have come to love on “Home Town.”
In her post, Erin wrote that she didn’t know if fans would “ever get to see” the new show. But many begged for HGTV to air it and to help the Heirloom team rebuild, as Baeumler suggested.
“Praying for you all for grace, peace and hope,” one follower wrote, “God has a plan, he will provide. I am so sorry 😞. I do hope that @hgtv will still air the show. I was looking so forward to watching . ❤️🙏”
Another chimed in, “🙏noooo, this is crazy. 💔 HGTV, HELP BRING THIS HOTEL BACK”
The Laurel Leader-Call reported that the hotel went “up in flames” after the “blaze engulfed the former Kress Building” beginning around 5 a.m. The paper said it took several hours for firefighters from five different stations to get the fire under control, but no injuries were reported.
