YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A newlywed couple returned to their home the morning after they were married to find it destroyed by an overnight fire.
Natalie and Christopher Bain call the memories from their New Year’s Eve wedding irreplaceable.
However, they call their memories from New Year’s Day gut-wrenching.
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“It was like a dream,” said Christopher Bain. “A nightmare even. I just kept screaming ‘I want to wake up. I just want to wake up.’”
The newlyweds said they spent their wedding night at a family friend’s house where they had limited cellphone reception.
They returned to pack their bags for their honeymoon only to discover their charred home on Frog Pond Drive south of Clover.
“We noticed it from around the curve down there, because he said it didn’t look right,” said Natalie Bain. “And we noticed it. It was terrifying, actually.”
York County fire investigators said the blaze started in the front bedroom. They said there’s not enough evidence to determine how the fire started but they do not believe it was done on purpose.
“Here we are trying to celebrate our life together, then we have to go through this terrifying event,” Natalie Bain said.
The couple said a neighbor called 911 to report the fire.
Firefighters were not able to save their three dogs or five hedgehogs inside.
Christopher Bain’s grandmother owns the home but she’s in assisted living.
The couple has been living there since 2019 with plans to buy the property.
“Everything smells like smoke,” Natalie Bain said. “So there’s not much salvageable, especially in our bedroom where the fire started.”
They call their loss tragic yet humbling.
“Yes, we did have a terrible loss, but it could’ve been worse,” Christopher Bain said.
The couple said they’re living with family until they can get back on their feet.
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