By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
EAST SPENCER — Two East Spencer residents were left homeless Saturday after an early morning fire destroyed their home at 318 E. Geroid St.
East Spencer Fire Chief Shane Cranfield said when firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after midnight Saturday, two of the three apartments in the duplex were in flames.
“We saved one of them,” he said. “The other two are completely destroyed.”
Cranfield said it took firefighters about three and a half hours to get the blaze under control.
“We determined that the fire started between the wall structures near the baseboard heater,” Deborah Horne, investigator with the Rowan County Fire Marshal’s Office, said.
No one was injured.
Horne said one apartment was vacant and the other was being occupied by Tim Marrow and Liane Blanchard, who were at church at Love Christian Center when the blaze broke out.
The Hanford-Dole Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted the family, providing a hotel room for several days along with food and clothing allowances.
“They are looking for a place to live. They don’t have any idea where they’re going to be at this time,” said Deborah Lineberger, emergency services specialist for the Red Cross.
Donations to the family can be made through the Red Cross by calling 704-633-3854 or at Love Christian Center, 102 N. Long St, P.O. Box 548, East Spencer, NC 28039.
Spencer, Miller Ferry and Union fire departments assisted at the scene of the fire.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.