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10 residents of First Step Farm in Candler rehoused after fire


Photo: WLOS
Photo: WLOS
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Ten people at First Step Farm in Candler lost what few possessions they had in an overnight fire, and the people who run the non-profit are asking for help.

Their biggest concern right now is just making sure the men who were sleeping inside the building at the time have everything they need.

A lot of them came to First Step Farm with not much to begin with, but the little they did have is now gone.

The fire appears to have started in the back of the building that serves as the men's dorm, and one of the main offices on the First Step Farm campus.

"It got into the roof very quickly and once it got into the roof, then it spread down and up," said Craig White, Men's Program Director for First Step Farm.

Both men and women live and work at the facility while they recover from substance abuse.

"We’ve always found that serving people with a disease of addiction helps our community," said White. "It gives back to our economic growth. It helps to save families. With the current opioid epidemic, we’re helping people not die."

White says he's just happy all the men made it out safely.

"Through a lot of practice, and fire drills, and code standards, and making sure our buildings are up to date, we were able to get them all out," White said. "All the fire alarms worked. Everybody's safe."

White says First Step has accommodations for the men at the farm.

"We have another building where were able to house the ten men that were there," he told us.

White says First Step plans to rebuild and continue its mission of serving those who need help.

The Upper Hominy fire chief says the fire spread so quickly because of the high winds overnight.

Firefighters are still trying to determine how the fire started.

You can learn more about First Step Farm of WNC here.

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