HERTFORD — A New Hope family plans to live in a borrowed recreational vehicle after a fire destroyed their home on Muddy Creek Road.

Martin and Grycel Butts carried no insurance on the one-story, four-bedroom frame home that burned July 23. Despite the efforts of area firefighters, two bedrooms were destroyed, and water, smoke and heat damaged the rest of the home, Grycel Butts said.

The fire apparently started from an electrical shortage in a fan located in one of the bedrooms, she said.

“I had just left for work, and my husband took the two younger children to their grandmother’s house across the road before leaving,” says Butts, who moved her family to the New Hope area from New York several years ago.

“My daughter called me around 10 a.m., just hysterical, saying our house was on fire,” she added. “She saw the flames from her grandmother’s house across the street. Her grandmother called the fire department. We lost everything.”

Luckily, no one was injured, including two dogs that were at home at the time fire broke out around 10 a.m. Martin Butts said the family wasn’t able to salvage anything from the ruins.

The Buttses, along with their 12-year-old daughter Alaijha and 9-year-old son Javaughn, have been staying in an Edenton hotel since the fire, thanks to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army.

A neighbor, Steven Magaro, also parked his recreational vehicle beside the burned structure to offer temporary shelter for the family.

“We’re waiting for the electricity to be hooked up inside,” Grycel Butts said. “The people here, especially the people from New Hope United Methodist Church, have been so helpful. They are collecting clothes and things for us, and the members even paid for the two younger children to attend Camp Cale this week to take them away from everything.”

Chief Jimmy Spivey of the Durants Neck Volunteer Fire Department said his agency immediately called for assistance from firefighters from both the Intercounty and Winfall fire departments. While temperatures rose into the upper 90s that day, firefighters were able to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

As soon as word got out of the family’s plight, members of New Hope United Methodist jumped into action, organizing clothes- and furniture-collection drives for the family, as well as trying to find contractors and volunteers to help clean up the debris and get the Buttses back on their feet.

“We got involved because it’s the right thing to do,” said New Hope pastor Bill Masciangelo.

Five days after the fire, Grycel Butts still seems surprised when she realizes the things she has lost — like her children’s baby pictures, her jewelry and her laptop.

“It’s unbelievable,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “One day your life is normal, and the next, you’re living out of a hotel room, a car, and a truck.”

Anyone wishing to donate to help the Buttses may do so by dropping off donations at New Hope United Methodist or by calling 252-455-7117. Furniture, personal items, and help with demolition/construction is needed as is a dumpster at the fire site.