Mondee Tilley/The News
Ararat Volunteer Fire Department Chief Wes Key walks around the front of a house in Woodcreek Development in Holly Springs Tuesday afternoon as fire crews worked inside to extinguish the blaze.
Mondee Tilley/The News
Firefighters prepare to enter a home at 168 Woodcreek Drive on Tuesday afternoon. According to Assistant Chief of the Bannertown Fire Department, Johnnie Wood, the fire started in the bedroom in the upper right-hand side of the home, where flames can be shooting from the roof.
Mondee Tilley/The News
Johnnie Wood, assistant chief of the Bannertown Fire Department, comes around the front of a Holly Springs house that caught on fire Tuesday to check on firefighters at the scene.
Four adults and four children will have to pick up the pieces of their lives after losing everything in an accidental Tuesday afternoon fire.
Firefighters rushed to the family’s home in the Woodcreek development in the Holly Springs community after it caught fire in an upstairs bedroom on Tuesday afternoon.
The call for help came in at 5:33 p.m. at 168 Woodcreek Drive.
He said the fire started in the front, upper right bedroom.
“All the family wants to say was it was started by a 3-year-old child,” said Wood.
Claudine Ayers, owner of the home, lives there with her son, daughter-in-law, their children and her sister, Wood said.
He said the family is existing on one disability check from Ayers.
They have no insurance.
“They’ve lost everything,” said Wood.
Ayers’ sister was taken to Northern Hospital of Surry County later in the evening last night to be re-checked for smoke inhalation.
Surry County Assistant Fire Marshal Jason Burkeholder ruled the fire accidental.
Ayers’ son and daughter-in-law were not home when the fire broke out, Burkeholder said.
One of the challenges firefighters faced was that there are no fire hydrants in that neighborhood. They had to fill tankers up with water at the nearest hydrant at the Astro plant on Holly Springs Church Road.
There were 35 firefighters on the scene.
He said the reason so many firefighters were called to the scene was because of the heat.
Firefighters remained on the scene until 8 p.m.
“We appreciate their assistance,”said Wood.
In addition to the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department, firefighters from Ararat, Franklin and Four Way fire departments helped put the fire out as well. Members of Surry County Emergency Services personnel responded and checked out the family. The Mount Airy Rescue Squad responded to the scene as well.
The American Red Cross was called to the scene to help the displaced family and overheated firefighters.
The family will be staying at the Quality Inn in Mount Airy for a few days with help from the Red Cross. The agency also helped the family with replacement of some medication, clothes and food.
The children living at the home include a 3-year-old boy, a 5-month-old boy, a 4-year-old boy and an 8 to 10-year-old girl was living there also.
Reach Mondee Tilley at mtilley@heartlandpublications.com or at 719-1930.
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