Tacos El Guero Gil in Bullard was forced to close after a fire broke out in a fryer on Sunday. Owner Gilberto Jimenez said there is no estimated date for the truck to reopen.

A popular Bullard food truck is closed — for now — after a fire broke out in a fryer this past weekend.

Gilberto Jimenez, owner of Tacos El Guero Gil, said he does not yet know when he will be able to reopen following the blaze, but he is thankful that no one was hurt.

Jimenez said it was business as usual Sunday morning when he was frying chips. He turned off the gas in the trailer and went back inside his house to get ready for the day. Then, he said the fire seemed to come out of nowhere.

“As we walked outside, I saw some smoke coming out of the trailer and went to check what was causing it,” Jimenez said. “I just remember seeing all the grease pouring out of the container and fire all around it. We decided to call the firefighters because we couldn’t do anything to put it up.”

Jimenez said he is awaiting an insurance assessment and does not know the extent of the damage, but that it looks severe. He said the fire didn’t completely burn the food truck, but “it melted everything.”

“At that moment, I was only thinking that all my life and my dreams were going up in flames. (There was) only sadness in my heart,” he said.

The business started with a small trailer in June 2019 and had since grown.

“The response from our community was really good and that lead us to get a brand new food truck. We started on this one in April of 2021,” Jimenez said.

A fundraiser has been set for 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Tacos El Guero Gil location at 200 CR 3801 in Bullard.

“We want our customers and community to know that we are not going away. We are working hard so we can get back as soon as possible,” Jimenez said. “We want them to know we’ve seen all the support and are blessed to be part of this community. We appreciate every one of them. We definitely feel the love.”

At the fundraiser, DJ’s Kitchen will be selling plates for $10 and accepting donations on behalf of the Jimenez family.

For more information, visit the Taco El Guero Gil fundraiser page on Facebook.