Building damaged in Sneads Ferry fire caused by burning candle

Jan. 25--Editor's note: This article was updated at 3:37 p.m.

SNEADS FERRY -- A fire that caused extensive damage to a Sneads Ferry building follows four months after damage from Hurricane Florence.

"I already had hurricane damage and hadn't gotten all the repairs for that yet," said Al Carr, owner of the building at 265 Sneads Ferry Road.

Firefighters were called to the fire around 8:15 p.m. Thursday and found the building "totally involved," said Turkey Creek Fire & Rescue Chief Ricky Hardison.

Hardison said the fire was accidental and caused by a candle that was burning and caught a couch on fire in one of the downstairs rooms of the two-story structure.

The woman living in the rented apartment made it out of the building safe but lost her belongings. Hardison said she also had several pets, but not all could be rescued.

Hardison said the old building has had multiple uses, including a post office at one point, and the owner was renting out several rooms.

Hardison didn't know how long it had been but said that at the time of the fire the building did not have power.

Carr said the first floor, which is where the fire started, is one large apartment and there are two smaller apartments upstairs. He said he lives in one and he rents out the others.

Part of the roof of the building was ripped off during Hurricane Florence, Carr said, and he had to make repairs to flooded portions of the building.

Carr confirmed there was no power to the building at the time of the fire but it had only been cut off hours before. He wasn't sure whose direction it was, but the power to the building was cut off about 3 p.m. Thursday, Carr said.

He said he was told it was cut off because the building was unsafe.

"If it was so critical, why did it take them four months to do it?" Carr asked.

Carr said they had been living at the building with power ever since the storm. He had just finished putting a generator in for the downstairs tenant to use when he went upstairs and heard people yelling about the fire.

"I got the generator running and went back to my apartment and five minutes later I hear yelling and that there was a fire," Carr said.

He said someone driving by stopped and alerted them of the fire, which was apparently started when the burning candle was knocked over.

Carr said it's a strange coincidence that on the same day power was cut off that it was a candle burning while the power was out that led indirectly to the fire.

They knocked out windows to try to save all the pets, Carr said, but the fire was too hot to get to some of them. At least one of the dogs and a cat were saved. He wasn't sure if some of the cats were able to get out on their own.

One of the three small fire extinguishers was visible in the debris in front of one of the windows. Carr said they used three small ones and almost had the fire out before the fire department got there, but it burned fast.

"When the fire department got here the whole front was in flames," Carr said.

Carr thanks the fire department and first responders who were there.

"They did a good job. I appreciate all they did," he said.

Carr said the two-story masonry building dates back to 1945 and he purchased it around 2000. He said he works in construction and plans to try to make repairs but does not have insurance and has now lost the rental income he had coming in.

"Instead of working on somebody else's hurricane damage, I'll now be working on (my) damage," he said.

In addition to Turkey Creek, North Topsail Beach, Holly Ridge, Camp Lejeune and Verona fire departments responded.

Reporter Jannette Pippin can be reached at 910-382-2557 or [email protected].

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SNEADS FERRY -- A candle burning in an occupied building that had no power caused a Thursday night fire in Sneads Ferry that destroyed the building.

Firefighters were called to a fire at 265 Sneads Ferry Road around 8:15 p.m. and found the building "totally involved," said Turkey Creek Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricky Hardison.

Hardison said the fire was accidental and caused by a candle that was burning and caught a couch on fire in one of the downstairs rooms of the two-story structure.

The woman living in the rented room made it out of the building safe but lost her belongings. Hardison said she also had several pets and some of them died in the fire.

Hardison said the old building has had multiple uses, including a post office at one point, and the owner, whose name was not immediately available, was renting out rooms for residential use.

Hardison didn't know how long it had been but said that at the time of the fire the building did not have power. He also said they did not find fire alarms.

Hardison said that when the fire department arrived, the woman living in the room where the fire started was the only person there. The Red Cross has provided assistance to her.

Reporter Jannette Pippin can be reached at 910-382-2557 or [email protected].

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