Lance Martin Herald Senior Staff Writer

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD Charred furniture, kitchen appliances and a fold-out sofa bed are nearly all that remain of a residence at 806 Madison St., after an early morning fire left the house in ruin. Though all their possessions were lost, the occupants of the house were unharmed. Advertisement

ROANOKE RAPIDS - An electric space heater placed too close to a fold-out sofa bed is to blame for a fire that gutted two rooms of a house at 806 Madison St. this morning.

The family of three women and three children lost all their possessions in the blaze, which Roanoke Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Billy Allen said was called in around 1:51 a.m.

Fire was rolling out of the front of the house when firefighters arrived, Allen said. Firefighter B.J. Harris pulled a ligament when he twisted his foot after landing on uneven pavement when he got off the pump panel of the truck. He was treated at Halifax Regional Medical Center and is on crutches.

Allen said the outcome of the fire could have been much worse, since the children and one adult were in the fold-out when the blaze occurred.

One of the adult women in the house got up to use the bathroom and noticed a flicker in the room where the fold-out was. She initially thought it was the glow from a television, but upon further inspection discovered it was fire and started hollering for everyone to get out.

Some went out the back door and others went out the front. Both doors were left open, allowing air to fuel the fire, Allen said. “When it gets air, it goes to town.”

Firefighters were able to contain the majority of the flames in five minutes, but stayed on the scene for salvage and clean-up until 4:10 this morning.

The main two rooms of the house were gutted and there was heavy smoke and water damage to the rest of the house, which is owned by Elmo Garner and rented by Sally Pierce.

The house sustained approximately $30,000 in damages and is probably valued at $40,000. Allen said, however, it appears the house can be repaired.

There were a lot of clothes on the floor near the space heater, he said, as well as a lot of debris.

This morning, Jacqueline Kafaf was at the house looking for her mother, Sally Pierce's medicine, but had no luck. “I can't recognize nothing.”

Kafaf said her mother and her aunt, Queen Debros, and her daughter, Crystal Pierce, lived in the house, along with three young family members - a 3-year-old boy and girls ages 2 and 6.

She said the family was now staying with her. They are in need of clothing - sizes 7 to 8 for the boy and sizes 5 to 6 and 7 to 8 for the girls, as well as clothes for the three adult women in the house.

Kafaf said her mother had not yet started Christmas shopping for the children. “She had bought a couple of things. She had started on the doll babies.”

Allen said caution needs to be exercised when using conventional or alternative heating sources. “If you've got a fireplace, you need to have it checked by a professional. For space heaters, you need to heed the three-foot rule. Keep them three feet away from everything. If you have regular heating and cooling, make sure it is serviced. For kerosene heaters, make sure they have a good wick, are in proper working order and keep them away from everything.”