A family that fell victim to a house fire last week is picking up the pieces and has been joined by the community in rebuilding its life.

The Ennis family, of 276 Chandler Road, just off of U.S. Highway 17 in southern Beaufort County, is recovering from the loss of their home to an Oct. 20 house fire, as well as the loss of the family patriarch, Ronnie Dean Ennis, 71.

According to Nancy Ennis, wife of the deceased, she and daughter Doris lost everything.

“You know, it’s just like a bad dream,” Ennis said. “It gets you right through your gut. It’s like someone reaches in and stirs your stomach up. It’s quite traumatic, but we’ll be all right. The good Lord is with us.”

Ennis said the house caught fire after her husband was burning something and the wind blew the fire toward the carport attached to the house. While Nancy and Doris Ennis were able to get out before the fire consumed the home, Ronnie Dean Ennis was lost in the fire.

“He would not come with us,” Ennis said. “All he kept saying is, ‘I need water.’ That was the last thing I heard him say.”

Ennis and her daughter are now staying with her son in a camper in a small camping community on U.S. Highway 17, something close friend and community watch leader Dianne Overton says is a problem — not only is it a small living space for all those living there, but there is also not enough room to store items donated from members of the community.

So far, the Salvation Army has given the Ennis family clothes to wear and some food items. The Red Cross is in the process of helping the family replace the medications lost in the fire, according to Overton.

Overton is leading an initiative to help the Ennis family secure a camper to live in, she said. She is hoping that churches, as well as members of the community, will pitch in to help pay for a camper. Currently, Overton has a goal of raising about $10,000 to pay for purchase of a camper and the costs associated with transporting it to the site of the campground.

“The Bible says, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself,’ and when it comes to that, everyone should be willing to help out someone in need,” Overton said.

Ennis said she is very appreciative for the community’s response in her family’s time of need. A “Gofundme” page has been set up to harness support for helping the Ennis family recover from their loss, as well.

“The community has been really marvelous,” Ennis said. “You can’t really put it into words the way (the help) touches you. No one understands what it’s like to lose everything. It’s like cutting off one of your fingers. I can hardly explain it. I keep telling my daughter that we’ll face it. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve been through it. But the community has been so nice in helping us out. We just thank everyone for what they’ve done.”

To contribute to the recovery of the Ennis family, visit https://www.gofundme.com/487ar8p2, call Dianne Overton at 252-946-5204 or mail to Dianne Overton, 39 Chandler Road, Vanceboro, NC, 28586.