Gaston Family Homeless After Dryer Fire

A double-wide mobile home fire that began in a clothes dryer Monday afternoon left a Kings Mountain family of five homeless and destitute.

The home at 109 Meagon Drive caught fire again early Wednesday and finished burning.

John “J.D.” Page, 39, and his common-law wife, Amy Welch, 41, have lived there for three years with their children: Emilie, 19; Stormie, 13; and Gracie, 6.

Welch said the American Red Cross paid for a couple of nights’ lodging at a Super 8 motel in Shelby and the three girls are temporarily living with relatives.

The family has lost all material possessions and have nothing but their Dodge pickup truck and the clothes on their backs, Page said.

Welch said she and 6-year-old Gracie were at home when the fire started at 3:45 p.m. Monday.

“I opened up the door and it (dryer) was in flames. It kept spreading and there was nothing I could do,” Welch said.

Just before waking up Wednesday morning at the motel, Welch’s cell phone rang and it was their neighbors in Kings Mountain telling them the mobile home was on fire again.

“It started up about 6 a.m. and burnt the whole thing down,” she said. “Only two rooms were saved (after Monday’s fire), my kids’ bedrooms. There’s absolutely nothing salvageable.”

Page said apparently a small, smoldering flame contained to insulation in the ceiling didn’t catch fire until early Wednesday.

Gracie attends Washington Elementary School, Stormie attends Burns Middle, and Emilie goes to Burns High.

“They’ve missed school. John and I took the rest of the week off work and we’ve got so much to figure out,” Welch said.



Two dogs, a pickup and a prayer

Page said he doesn’t have money to rent a home or apartment because his family has been living paycheck to paycheck, paying their bills each week. Since Monday, they’ve been either at the Super 8 motel or in the truck with their two small dogs, Baby and Rocky.

Page said he works at Shelby Paving and Asphalt Co. and Welch works part-time at Party City in Gastonia.

“All I’ve got is this truck, eight dollars in my pocket and a quarter tank of gas,” Page said.

The truck had a flat tire on Wednesday afternoon, leaving Page to wonder what’s going to happen to them next. They were able to get the tire repaired and Page said he’s caught between a rock and a hard place because he can’t afford to miss work but needs to find a place for his family to bed down.

“With all this, we’ll both be missing work for a week or two. Right now, I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to lay my head and my kids’ heads,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a daze. I really don’t know who to turn to.”

Page said he doesn’t know if the mobile home is insured or not.

“I lost my mom two years ago, so I inherited the house,” he said. “This house and everything in it was all I had left of my mom.”

Turning to God in the midst of tragedy has served as a source of strength for Page, but he can’t ignore his family’s material needs that seem to be pressing.

“I still turn to the man upstairs,” he said. “Everything’s gone, everything … all their school clothes, spring clothes, beds. Most of all, we thank God. All that stuff can be replaced.”



Kind-hearted folks

Lisa Featherston of Gastonia is good friends with Page and Welch. She described them as good people who work hard to provide for their children. “J.D. has got about the biggest heart I could think of. I’ve been friends with him 26 years,” she said. “He’s just a great family guy. He loves his children to pieces and will do just about anything to put food on the table.”

Featherston said she feels for Page and Welch’s family because they are good people thrust into a bad situation.

“Financially, they struggle in general. I don’t know what they’re going to do,” she said. “They literally lost everything. He (Page) is not educated and that has been a little bit of a downfall when it comes to getting a good-paying job.”

The Oak Grove, Waco, Cleveland and Tryonota volunteer fire departments were at the scene Wednesday. Firefighters from Gaston County were also called to assist.

Anyone who may wish to help the family can reach Welch at 704-271-0051.

Gazette reporter Wade Allen can be reached at 704-869-1828.