New Father’s Home Catches Fire

A fire at 181 Blairs Court gutted the home of a new father, only hours after his daughter was born.
No one was home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries, just shock at the unexpected news, owner Shawn Lipitory said.
“My baby was just born today. My mother picked me and the baby and the mother up from the hospital,” said Lipitory. “I was at Clayton Homes (where Lipitory’s mother works) and Steve Rouse (a fireman) called and told her my house was on fire.”
Mount Hermon and Blairs fire departments responded to the fire. They were able to extinguish the blaze, which was burning in one room when they arrived, but there was extensive fire, smoke and water damage to the mobile home.
“There was fire in one room when we got here,” Blairs fireman Tim Duffer said. Duffer said he didn’t know what might have caused the fire, but that firefighters were waiting for Fire Marshal Steve Bowman to arrive to investigate.
Lipitory said he hadn’t lived in the home for awhile, but was staying with his mother. Still, everything he owned was in the home, and losing it all made his joy at welcoming a new daughter into the world short-lived.
“Five pounds, ten ounces, 18 inches,” he said.
“Her name is Brianna Lee. She’s beautiful, which is a good day,” he said, fighting back tears. “But not now.”
Lipitory watched firemen from both the Blairs and Mount Hermon fire departments extinguish the fire and sort through the remains. He said he wasn’t allowed to go inside or check on the home until Fire Marshall Steve Bowman arrived.
“Everything I own is in there,” Lipitory said. “All my clothes, furniture, bed, everything I own.”