Holiday lights spark ‘scary’ house fire near Charlotte captured by doorbell camera
Images from a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera early Wednesday showed a house ablaze and then gutted near Hopewell High School in northwest Mecklenburg County.
“Decorative holiday lights” on the outside of the home caused the fire, Mecklenburg County spokeswoman Pamela Escobar said.
Two residents and their dog escaped unharmed, the fire department said on Twitter.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for the displaced residents identified the couple as Ed and Beth McCreery.
By Wednesday afternoon, 23 donors contributed a total of $4,500 to help the couple, who lost all of their possessions in the fire. That donations more than doubled the $2,000 goal.
“Heavy fire” was shooting through the roof of the home when firefighters from three Huntersville stations arrived at the blaze in the 6900 block of Cascade Dream Court, the department posted.
Cascade Dream Court is off Beatties Ford Road just northwest of the high school.
The home and three vehicles in the driveway were a total loss, according to the department.
Heat also damaged homes on either side of the house that went up in flames, officials said.
Firefighters saved four motorcycles from the garage of the gutted home, according to the department.
The Mecklenburg County fire marshal was at the scene investigating cause and origin Wednesday, officials said.
On Twitter, a neighbor around the corner from the gutted house said what she could see of the fire “was scary. But once @Huntersville_FD arrived, it was reduced & contained quickly. Thank you HFD for your hard & tireless work!”
The neighbor whose doorbell camera snapped the photos of the fire and its aftermath shared the images with the Huntersville Fire Department and gave The Charlotte Observer permission to publish the photos, fire department spokesman Bill Suthard said. The neighbor requested anonymity, according to Suthard.
Holiday lights safety tips
Even as the holiday season winds down, it’s worth keeping these safety tips from Duke Energy in mind to prevent fires with decorative lights:
▪ Avoid overloading extension cords. Use up to three light strands only per extension cord.
▪ Keep ladders and decorations from overhead power lines when hanging lights around your roofline and in trees.
▪ Check your string lights for frayed wires and cracks. Damaged strands can cause a fire, so replace them.
▪ Read the product labels on your lights. Some lights are intended for indoors only, others for the outdoors.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 12:06 PM.