Widow loses husband for second time in fire

CALABASH, NC (WWAY) — From hosting family for the weekend to losing her entire home in a fire, that is what happened to a Calabash woman early Sunday morning.

In a matter of seconds Emily Beecher’s home went up in flames.

“Literally was engulfed in about three or four minutes. The whole house. So the time we hit the top steps I grabbed my dog and you couldn’t go back inside,” Beecher said.

The Calabash Fire Department responded to Beecher’s home on Carter Drive around 2 a.m. The fire also damaged the house next door.

Beecher lost everything, including her late husband’s ashes. But Beecher, her dog and four of her visiting family members got out safely.

Including her daughter Kiera Myers who says she is worried about her mother having to start all over.

“Where do you go from here?” Myers said. “There’s no textbook that prepares you for something like this. Ya know. She left without her pocket book inside and obviously fled. So her medication was in there. She didn’t even have her dentures in her mouth.”

However, despite losing her home Beecher is staying positive.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so everything can be taken. But just know that they’re just things, and they’re replaceable. Be thankful for every day that you got, because it can end real quick, and it came real close to it for five people,” Beecher said.

The Elks Lodge, where Beecher works, has set up a fund to help her in this time of need. If you would like to donate, items and money can be dropped off at the Calabash Elks Lodge located on Carter Drive.

The Brunswick County fire marshal could not determine what caused the fire. There will be no further investigation.