Update: Family friend Megan Johnson has collected the size of clothing information for each family member. They include:
* Mom, size 18-20, shoes size 9.5 – 10
* Dad, size 34/30 pants and Large shirts, shoes 8
* 7-year-old boy: 10/12 pants, Size 7 shirt, shoes 2 boys
* 4-year-old boy: Size 7 pants, Size 5/6 shirt, shoes 13 toddler
To arrange a donation, please contact Megan at 910-206-4177.
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
* Photo gallery – more than 500 photos
ROCKINGHAM — Bathtime inside a McQueen Street home was disrupted Monday morning when the mother noticed a hint of smoke and called 911.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Northside Volunteer Fire Department Deputy Chief Bryan Cloninger is among the first to battle the flames coming out of a McQueen Street home Monday morning in Rockingham.
To call to deploy firefighters from Northside and Ellerbe volunteer fire departments responded to the single-story rancher came in at 9:56 a.m. As firefighters arrived, smoke was steaming from throughout the attic area along the width of the home, located off Snead Avenue.
Under a cloudy sky and with the thermometer hitting only 39 degrees, firefighters focused their initial efforts on the attic area. As pieces of the room were removed and oxygen rushed the space, flames several feet hight shot upwards.
Firefighters gained entry to the front of the home at 10:14 a.m. and were able to spare the rest of the home from anything but smoke damage. A firefighter was able to save a large bag of Christmas presents that Santa had delivered early.
“I noticed the lights flicker in the bathroom,” said the mother of two boys, ages 7 and 4. “I smelled smoke, so I called 911.”
The mother quickly hurried her two children out of the home. She waited outside with the family’s small terrier while the two boys sat in the warm car. The mother said she believed the fire might have been caused by an electrical problem. Northside Volunteer Fire Department Deputy Chief Bryan Cloninger said his findings wouldn’t dispute that.
Officially, he said, the cause is “undetermined.”
“It did start around the chimney area, but there were wires there,” Cloninger said. “It’s hard to pinpoint why.”
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
The family is in the process of buying the home, where they’ve lived for two years, the mother said, noting the family does have insurance on the home.
Personnel from FirstHealth EMS, Duke Energy and American Red Cross also responded to the scene. A firefighter and American Red Cross personnel handed the two boys a couple of teddy bears and warm blankets to use for cover inside the car.
Ellerbe firefighters cleared the scene at 12:17 p.m. while their Northside colleagues did the same two minutes later.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
This is what firefighters saw as they arrived on scene of the McQueen Street house fire.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
