Mom Recounts How Daughter Escaped House Fire After Getting Trapped Inside
A fire broke out at Viola Spells' home in North Carolina on April 4 while she was running errands
West Buncombe Fire Department/WLOS
Woman's house catches fire in Asheville, North CarolinaA North Carolina mother came home to a nightmare scene after a quick trip running errands.
On April 4, Viola Spells was on her way home when she noticed a large amount of firetrucks and emergency crews in the area near her house.
“I saw these firetrucks and I was like, ‘What’s going on down there?’ And I kept getting this sinking feeling because it was, like, close to my house,” she told local outlet WLOS.
She then arrived at her house to a still-raging fire, and her first thought was of her daughter, who was still at home.
A firefighter told her that her daughter had managed to escape, and her child later told her mother that she “jumped from the window” to escape the blaze, per WLOS.
“That was the only way she could get out,” Spells told the outlet.
Her daughter was taken to the hospital to be evaluated, but she is "physically okay," WLOS reported.
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Spells’ home is expected to be a “total loss,” West Buncombe Fire Chief Dennis Fagnant told the outlet.
“We had to rely heavily on our mutual aid partners and, in fact, had to call in two additional alarms, which brought in four additional engines and two additional tankers, just to be able to bring this fire under control," he explained.
Spells added of the loss, "When you see that’s wiped away all your memories, everything you own, everything gone, I was just devastated."
She has since started a GoFundMe page to fundraise, writing, "Anything you could donate would be most appreciated. The funds will be used to recover my home."
In the description, Spells also shared that she grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and is an artist in the area.
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