When Cathy Loggins, executive director of the Surry County Chapter of the American Red Cross headed out to a fire to bring firefighters and victims relief Saturday morning, she had no idea that by the end of the day she would also be in need of help.

Loggins responded to a house fire on Twin Oaks Road in Dobson early yesterday morning to help a burned out family and brought refreshments for tired firefighters. On her way home, she got a call that the alarm at the Red Cross building on Westlake Drive had gone off. When Tom Dunn, emergency services director, opened the building, just before Loggins got there, he found that the pipes in the ceiling had burst, flooding the entire building.

Loggins said she knew it was going to be cold and took preemptive measures to prevent such a crisis.

“I even turned the heat up to 72 before I left work on Friday and I turned on the flood lights in the attic to keep the pipes warm. I don’t understand why they have to put the pipes in the ceiling anyway,” Loggins said in frustration.

Dunn and Loggins worked the majority of the day on Saturday cleaning up the mess left by the leak. Water caused the ceiling tiles to crumble and the pink insulation could be seen hanging in the hallways.

Loggins said there is a scheduled blood drive at the center for the Mount Airy Rotary Club on Tuesday, which will go on as scheduled, but after that, she would have to move everything from the offices into the training room while the carpet dries out or is replaced. She said a plumber is scheduled to come in first thing Monday morning to get the facility back online.

Loggins said the same thing happened at the facility five or six years ago.

To contact the Surry County Chapter of the American Red Cross call 786-4183. The building is located at 844 Westlake Drive.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.