A fire in Gracie Rock Village on Monday has forced two golden citizens to leave their tranquil home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. An 83-year-old woman was inside when the flames started, which could have ended disastrously, but luckily, her 64-year-old son was able to get her out of harm's way. Unfortunately he wasn't able to save anything else, especially since, though he called for help from the fire department, they never showed up. Courtney Menzies spoke with him today and has this story.
64-year-old Carlton Young and his 83-year-old mother are tonight without any of their possessions after a fire destroyed their home in Gracie Rock Village.
Young explained that he was near the river a few yards away from his house on Monday afternoon when he discovered that a blaze had erupted inside the kitchen.
Carlton Young, Fire Victim
"We were socializing over there with the people that come out here to picnic, swimming, and then my mom, the guys told me my mom is calling me and I ran around here and came in here, I ran up the stairs, my mom was out already and when I went in there and i looked in the kitchen, I saw fire behind the fridge. I got some water, I ran back out and start throwing water and calling for help. Everybody came out and assist. We opened up the vat and ran water and started throwing water but there was already, when I got there, the fire was already too big. It got into the ceiling, into the walls, and I just saw the smoke coming out and it got so bad that the ceiling started to drop in and when we decided to grab something it was too late because the fire dropped in my back and too much smoke, we can't get in there, we can't do anything, all I saved was my phone because it was in my pocket."
And four days later, he still isn't sure what might have caused the fire, especially since the fire truck never showed up, and fire department has not commenced any investigation. And without any firefighters, Young was left to helplessly watch his home go up in smoke.
Carlton Young, Fire Victim
"I don't know if a wire peeled or something because we didn't have anything on in the house, we don't even cook in the house, I cook outside and my mom just relaxes inside, stays on the bed, cool off until I give her cause he's 83 years old, she can't do nothing."
"We called for help, we called police, they came, we called the fire truck, they say they were coming, they haven't shown up yet. We just watched the house burn until it looked like this."
Reporter:
"How long did it blaze for?"
Carlton Young, Fire Victim
"It blazed till night and until the next day it was still smoking, it just stopped cause there was a little rain and still if you go underneath there, you could feel it's still hot."
"I'm the one that went to them and they gave me a paper that say that I will get my social back, I don't have any IDs or anything. I had to go to them, they never came out, not yet, no fireman came out to say it's electrical or nothing, I'm just assuming that, but I don't know, but I feel it's that because nobody will light a fire in here, we don't do that."
But despite the cause, Young says he still can't believe the home he's lived in for 45 years is completely gone.
Carlton Young, Fire Victim
"I think it's like… I wish… it's like I'm dreaming and this didn't happen to me at all. I wish I was dreaming. Everything my mother has… her wedding gifts still in there and she was married before I was born, and they were like antiques you don't those anymore. And she will never get that back again. This house was valued hundreds of thousands of dollars with the things inside. We had 4 bedrooms, living room, bathroom, kitchen and a verandah piece there and I have nothing, nothing, nothing."
If you would like to assist Young or his mother, he can be contacted at 670-8245.
