Home deemed ‘unlivable’ after fire and is robbed just days later, family says

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    MILLS RIVER, NC (WLOS) — On Tuesday, the Baldwins’ home on School House Road in Mills River went up in flames. The home was built by Amber Baldwin’s family in the 1970s. It was supposed to be her and her husband’s forever home.

“Think about everything a person is on this world is inside those four walls,” Jared Baldwin said.

Now, those walls are charred and the home is unlivable.

According to Mills River Fire and Rescue, it took 6 fire departments to put the blaze out on Feb. 16. They were on-scene for about 5 hours. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“The fire marshal said it was more than likely a charger or something that was left plugged up in an old outlet or something,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin said it appears the fire started in their daughter’s room.

“Every time she thinks of something that was in her room, she gets sad,” Baldwin said.

Luckily, no one was home at the time of the fire, so no one was injured.

But the family is certainly hurting.

Evidence of the lives the Baldwins and their two young kids lived there is now strewn across the yard. Toys their 9-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son once played with lay scattered across the lawn.

To make matters worse, Baldwin said he came to look at what was left on Saturday morning, Feb. 20, and was shocked to find out that their garage had been broken into, adding insult to injury.

“They stole PlayStations, monitors, jars full of coins, pocketknives, heirloom stuff, passed down stuff,” Baldwin said. “They stole thousands of dollars of my equipment that I’ve bought over the years.”

The family says they’ve been able to push through all the adversity, thanks to the community’s support.

“People have just dropped by and left money or toys, diapers,” he said.

They say they’re humbled by the love even complete strangers have shown them.

“They set up a GoFundMe page that’s amazed us every time we even look at it,” Baldwin said. The page has already raised almost $13,000.

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