A North Carolina man rescued his family from a fire, and now friends and neighbors are soliciting donations to help the family start over. | Kjrstie/Pixabay
A North Carolina man rescued his family from a fire, and now friends and neighbors are soliciting donations to help the family start over. | Kjrstie/Pixabay
Family comes first.
While anybody would hate to see a fire burn through all their belongings, the people and pets are what really matter.
Jarrod Smith knows that firsthand.
"I was about to cook my son dinner and next thing I know, the smoke detectors are going off,” he told WXII after a fire raged through the family’s Lexington home on Wednesday. "The whole house just went up in smoke, so I had to get everybody out fast. ... I just knew I had to react quick and get the dog and my son out.”
His quick reaction paid off, as he was able to rescue his family and dog. Now it’s time to rebuild their lives, and to do that he's relying on his work family.
"Everything we had worked hard for was in that house,” Smith said. “Starting over is going to be very hard. I don't know how we're gonna do it. But we have a support team, that's good to know.”
His support team includes Mindy Box, operations manager for Hillman Restaurant Group, the agency that owns the restaurant where Smith works. The group is collecting donations to help the family get back on their feet.
"We're just trying to help this family our that is part of our family,” Box told WXII. “We will take clothing, household items, school supplies. And anything for the new baby because they lost everything.”
Drop-off sites are at multiple restaurants the Hillman group owns. Box has also started a GoFundMe drive for the family.
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