Family prepares for first day of school after Mooresville home set on fire

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — It’s been nearly a week since a fire broke out at a Mooresville home, leaving two firefighters hurt and killing six pets.

Antoinette Brooks’ granddaughters were just two weeks shy from their first day of school when their clothes and school supplies were burned to ashes.

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Firefighter hospitalized following house fire in Mooresville

“See how the kitchen is all destroyed in there,” Brooks said.

“Yeah, it’s all destroyed and the kitchen, those windows never broke somehow. That one busted out,” her granddaughter said.

Brooks and her family were vacationing in Connecticut on Aug. 1 when their Mooresville home went up in flames.

“I was the one that got the phone call. I got it from my neighbor,” Brooks said. “She had called me and she said, ‘I’m sorry to tell you that your house burned down.’”

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was set on purpose and destroyed the home.

“First thing that comes to mind is that we weren’t here. We were supposed to be but we weren’t here,” Brooks said. “So that’s the biggest blessing of all.”

Brooks and her husband, Marc, have full custody of their granddaughters. Brooks said the fire has been tough for the kids to process.

“It’s really hard on them,” she said, adding, “Preparing them for school, getting all the supplies that they need and getting things organized. There’s nothing that’s organized and that’s hard.”

The family said the inside of the home is damaged beyond repair.

“I walked into the kids’ room and you can see outside,” Brooks said.

“All their destroyed toys — that’s another hard thing for them. Baby dolls are important to little ones.”

Six pets inside the home did not survive, but the kids believe they’re in a much better place.

“Good thing our pets are in a safe place … in heaven,” one of the girls said.

The Brooks family said they plan to rebuild their house on the same land they’ve called home for the last two years. If you would like to donate to the family and help the girls as they prepare to head back to school on Monday, click here for their GoFundMe.

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