Fire at Holy Angels displaces 20 medically fragile residents

BELMONT, N.C. — A Belmont nonprofit that cares for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is working to recover after a transformer blew near its campus, sparking a fire that damaged critical medical equipment and displaced residents.

Holy Angels, which provides 24‑hour care for children and adults with complex medical needs, was hit by a power surge Friday night after two transformers failed in the area.

The surge caused a fire to break out in a small office inside the facility. Staff members acted quickly to evacuate residents.

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Dietary assistant Destini Jones was working late when she smelled smoke. “I knew I smelled the fire, and I knew it was time to go,” she said. Jones immediately alerted others and began helping residents out of the building.

Holy Angels President and CEO Kerri Massey said 20 residents were in bed at the time, many of whom use wheelchairs and require mechanical lifts.

“You can imagine having to get 20 people who are in wheelchairs that we use mechanical lifts with in their wheelchairs and out of this building unharmed. And we did that in under five minutes,” Massey said. She called Jones a hero for her quick action.

While the fire itself was small, the damage was extensive. The organization’s Fisher Healthcare Center, a mini‑hospital on campus, lost thousands of dollars in medical equipment and supplies. Twenty residents who rely on that equipment are now displaced.

Some are staying in local hospitals, while others have been moved to different buildings on the Holy Angels campus. Smoke damage is still evident throughout the affected area.

Massey said the team is doing everything possible to continue its mission, but the loss has deeply impacted the community.

“It’s home. And right now, even though they’re with the organization that serves them, they’re not home. And that’s what it means to them,” she said.

Holy Angels has shared several ways the public can support recovery efforts, including donating items through its Adopt an Angel program, which provides toys, clothes, and blankets to residents who lost belongings.

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