Amelia funeral home owner numb after fire destroys his family business

Dec 31, 2025 - 03:25

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Amelia funeral home owner numb after fire destroys his family business

AMELIA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- One of the owners of Hillsman-Hix Funeral Home and Florist, Jim Hix, says he’s feeling numb after watching his Amelia County business of 40 years go up in smoke on Tuesday.

Neighbors are sharing their sympathies with the Hix family, who has helped thousands of other families navigate through grief here in Central Virginia. Now, the Hixes are experiencing a profound grief of their own.

“I don’t know if I’ve really absorbed the whole situation of what’s going on today,” Hix said.

Around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30, firefighters were called to the funeral home and flower shop at 16408 Court Street for report of a fire. Flames sparked from the back of the building and winds fueled the flames, destroying two-thirds of the structure.

Dec. 30 fire at the Hillsman-Hix Funeral Home in Amelia County. (Photo: Bruce B. Whitaker)

It’s unclear how the fire started, but no one was hurt.

Hix's wife and son were inside the funeral home, prepping for a funeral scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 31, when this tragedy struck. One body was also inside, but thankfully, the Hixes were able to get themselves and the person's remains out safely.

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The body has since been placed in the crematorium across the street, which was unaffected by the fire.

"You have to appreciate the fact that that's 40 years of my life just burned up in front of me, and 40 years of memories -- my children were raised there," Hix said.

And all the Hixes could do was step back and watch.

Dec. 30 fire at the Hillsman-Hix Funeral Home in Amelia County. (Photo: Ben Walls/8News)

Dec. 30 fire at the Hillsman-Hix Funeral Home in Amelia County. (Photo: Facesofheroes)

Locals told 8News that it's a heartbreaking loss after the Hixes have put their hearts and souls into helping families.

The Hixes said they're looking forward to rebuilding their funeral home. In the meantime, they'll be running their services in other churches, thanks to their generosity in opening their facilities for the Hixes. For example, that funeral scheduled for New Year's Eve funeral has been moved to a separate church.

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"I was just overwhelmed by the people, my friends and the constituents in the neighborhood, who came up to me and shared their sorrow and their support," Hix said.

Cremation services have not been affected, since the fire was only contained to the funeral home, not the crematorium.