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FORT MILL A house fire in The Enclave at Regent Park neighborhood on Thursday left one family unharmed but without a home just five days before Christmas.
Three fire departments were dispatched to the Fort Mill-area development around 3 p.m. They battled the blaze for more than two hours, evacuating at one point because the roof was about to fall in.
The fire destroyed most of the two-story home at 880 Hickory Stick Drive, eventually tearing through the attic and causing the roof to collapse.
After most of the flames were doused, two Fort Mill firefighters walked out the front door carrying stacks of photo albums and picture frames.
They carried the family’s memories down the street to a neighbor’s house where the homeowner was meeting with a York County fire marshal.
Neighbors watched as firefighters dragged the family’s charred Christmas tree from inside to the front yard.
Heavy smoke could be seen coming from both floors of the brick home with Christmas wreaths hanging from the front windows.
Firefighters sprayed water onto the roof from the ground as another firefighter was lifted in Fort Mill’s ladder truck to try to put out the flames from above.
Neighbors said the family was home when the oldest daughter noticed flames in the kitchen pantry. They grabbed the dog and ran out of the house.
"It's so sad this happened at Christmas. They're big Christmas people, " said neighbor and friend Jackie Wagner. “Thank God it didn't happen at night and everybody's alive."
York County fire officials were still investigating Thursday night the cause of the fire and assessing the damage.
