HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point's Fire Marshall told WFMY News 2 they were called out to a house fire around 10 p.m. on Nov. 10. Neighbors said the family was celebrating a cultural holiday with fireworks.
After an investigation, firefighters discovered the family improperly discarded the explosives in a trash can outside of the home.
A neighbor said the flames engulfed the home.
"It felt like it was a nightmare. A nightmare that I don't want anybody to be a part of," Neika Harris said.
She told us she was dozing off on her couch that night and was awakened by panic.
"I got a knock at the door, I looked out the window and it was my neighbor that is about 3-4 houses down... and there was fear in his eyes," Harris said.
"I could see the brightness of the fire and he said, 'The house beside you is on fire and I need y'all to get out.'"
WFMY News 2 spoke to that neighbor who said it was a community effort.
"The whole trashcan was on fire, the side of the house was just going up in flames," Allen Gray said. "Instantly my wife and I and the neighbors that were with us...all knew exactly what our job was to do at that point in time. I ran and called 911."
High Point Fire Marshall Chris Weir said the fire happened in the 2400 block of Bearded Iris Lane.
Two adults and two children lived in the home. No one was hurt, but HPFD declared their home inhabitable. Weir said it could've been much worse.
"What probably fueled the fire more rapidly was the gas meter. It was near the area of the fire and it was severely damaged by the fire," Weir said.
"There's gonna be no electricity, no heat, no gas, no anything to the house and that's why they were gonna have to relocate," Gray said.
A neighbor said the wind blew flames onto her home, a sight she said she'll never forget.
"The siding on the house just started to curl," Harris said.
Neighbors are thankful everyone is safe.
"As long as we all got our lives and we're breathing, that's all that matters. All the materialistic things you get back later on," Gray said.
"I'm thankful that they're safe. My neighbors are safe and that my children and I are safe. I feel like God really had us covered," Harris said.
High Point Fire said the proper way to discard explosives is to put them in a metal container with a tight-fitted lid and let it sit for a few days.