Community supports family after explosive fire destroys home
One Buncombe County woman witnessed her neighbor's house fully engulfed in flames after hearing multiple explosions coming from a home on April 18.
By Marc Liverman
Click here for updates on this story
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Friday, April 25, marks one week since a Leicester home was fully destroyed in a massive fire after multiple explosions.
Two family members were inside when it happened.
A close friend has since spoken out, hoping her community will help replace everything the family lost in their home.
Lauren Cichy’s friend Jessica and her husband Brandon Warren were home when it happened, as multiple explosions were heard coming from their Leicester property.
“Words can’t even describe what you feel. You just get chills, you cry, you’re devastated,” said Cichy on Friday.
The couple managed to quickly escape unhurt, and their two children weren’t home at the time, but firefighters said the home was a total loss.
“All of their photo albums are gone. All their memorabilia. The house that they raised their children in. Gone,” Cichy said.
As they’re now starting the difficult job of rebuilding and replacing everything that they lost, Cichy is encouraging the public to drop off donations at the Ferguson-Candler YMCA.
Cichy and her friends also started a GoFundMe.
She said her friend Jessica was someone who would do anything to help others, like right after the hurricane.
“She is so giving to the community and jumped up when there was a time of need,” Cichy said. “She took all this stuff from her home in a time of need and donated and filled my car up so I could take it to people of need during Helene.”
Cichy said she’s hopeful that her community can give back to a family and a mother who has given so much to their community.
“Something to give them a glimmer of hope. They’re starting completely over from a tragedy like that,” said Cichy.
Authorities said they are still looking into what caused the fire, but they don’t believe it was suspicious.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
