Fire guts Iredell County home, forces family out into the cold NYE

TROUTMAN, N.C. — A family was forced out into the freezing cold New Year's Eve when a fire gutted their home in Iredell County.

The family escaped the home on Weathers Creek Road in Troutman without a minute to spare, and said the flames were so hot that they melted the garage door and turned everything inside to ash.

The family said it wasn’t a good way to start 2018, but told Eyewitness News anchor Blaine Tolison that they're ready to start a new chapter.

Cassandra Jezierski pointed to the roof of her home.

"That was the attic up there," Jezierski said.

She showed Channel 9 a charred section of the house -- part of which used to be her bedroom.

"It literally got so hot that the siding of the house, the Christmas lights on the house, melted completely off," Jezierski said.

Jezierski’s dad found a fire growing out of control in the garage Sunday afternoon. It was worse than Jezierski could've imagined.

Video taken at the time showed flames and a large plume of smoke. She said there was no time -- not even a minute -- to grab the family's most valuable possessions.

"I was in my slippers, pajamas. I couldn't grab literally anything. It was so scary," Jezierski said.

Jezierski, her brother and mom escaped, but then her dad went back to rescue one of their three dogs still inside as neighbors watched. Some tried to help.

"The garage was just engulfed in flames. Flames were side to side, top to bottom," neighbor John Solberb said.

Jezierski's dad escaped with their dog, but the fire spread through the attic, destroying most of the home. Jezierski said it may have been started by a space heater used to heat the garage. They are insured, but the family is devastated.

"I don't know how long it's going to be. I probably won't be living here anymore. Kind of homeless, basically," Jezierski said.

Thousands of dollars have been raised for the family through a GoFundMe page, but it'll still be some time before they are whole again.

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