Another store within the same block had been ram-raided twice in the past month and the community was fed up, she said.
"It is pretty horrific, it makes your heart race to know that someone just didn't give a s***," she said.
"Even though it is happening in the middle of the night, it is still quite frightening because you put all your livelihood into your work.
"Now we have lost the butcher shop that has been there for years."
Campbell Meats in Kawerau has been destroyed by a ram-raid and fire. Photo / Supplied
Police confirmed that another commercial premise on Onslow St was burgled on September 20 and 28. In both instances a vehicle was used to gain access to the store, a spokesman said.
She said barriers urgently needed to be put in front of the businesses to prevent cars from driving through shop-fronts, and believed owners would shut up shop if the ram-raids continued.
"If they keep targeting the shops, why would you want to run a business from there? It is really quite scary.
"They have had enough of all the robberies, burglaries and ram raids around Kawerau."
Whakatāne District Council mayor Judy Turner described the incident as a "horrible end to what has been really been a fabulous endeavour".
She had sent Campbell a "note of sympathy" after hearing the news, but had not yet spoken to him in person.
"He is a hard-working man, and he didn't deserve this at all.
"He has faithfully served that community in lots of ways, but that business was part of what he provided for that community. It is a really tragic end."
