By Shelley Smith
ssmith@salisburypost.com
CLEVELAND ó A Thursday afternoon fire that damaged a home at 145 Rocky Point is being investigated by the Rowan County Sheriffís Office and Fire Marshalís Office.
The fire began around 2 p.m. and was reported by a neighbor who reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the home.
Rowan County Fire Investigator Deborah Horne said most of the fire was coming out of the eaves of the home, along with the smoke. Investigators have not determined exactly where the fire started.
Horne said nothing was taken from the home for evidence, but agencies are still investigating.
Lost in the fire were two parakeets and a tank filled with fish. The family also had a cat, but no cat was found in the home.
Curtis Hayes, owner of the home, and his wife, Cheryl, said they are devastated.
Hayes is being treated at Rowan Regional Medical Center for a sudden illness, and he was not home at the time of the fire. Neighbors say Hayesí wife, Cheryl, left the home minutes before they saw the smoke.
ěI donít have nothing,î Curtis Hayes said by phone in his hospital room Friday night. ěAll I got is the clothes I came here to the hospital with. A pair of pants and a shirt.î
Hayes says he hopes to leave the hospital Sunday, and aside from the two nights in a hotel provided by the Red Cross, he and his wife will have to start from scratch.
ěWe ainít got no choice,î he said of sleeping in the hotel. ěI donít want to be on the streets.
ěItís just unbelievable. I canít believe it.î
Hayes, who has insurance to cover his loan, owns the land his mobile home is on and said heís lived there for 14 years and has never had any trouble.
ěI built that big front porch on and built the back bedroom on, and never had no trouble,î he said. ěIt just doesnít make no sense.î
The only things plugged into electrical outlets, Hayes said, were a battery charger, a phone charger and a lamp.
Cheryl Hayes said the battery charger has gotten hot before and sheís had to unplug it. She suspects it may have started the fire, she said.
ěIt makes me feel bad,î she said. ěIím mostly numb. I donít believe it.î
Cheryl Hayes hasnít been to her house since the fire and said she doesnít know what to expect.
ěI have my moments where Iím tore up,î she said, ěbut I havenít seen it, you know. Itís just hard.î
She left minutes before the fire was called in to 911.
ěIt donít make me feel good at all,î she said. ěI wish I would have stayed a little bit longer and maybe I could have put it out.î
Horne said Cheryl Hayes told her she did not smell or see anything unusual before she left for the hospital to see her husband.
ěAll of our kidsí pictures, you canít replace them,î Curtis Hayes said, crying into the phone. ěIím devastated.î
To donate something to the Hayes family, contact the Elizabeth Hanford Dole Chapter of the American Red Cross at 704-633-3854.
Contact reporter Shelley Smith, 704-797-4246.