WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- The fire started in a home on Porter Mill Road around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, October 27th. No injuries were reported but two dogs were killed.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal told WBOC the fire caused an estimated $400,000 in damage. It took 54 firefighters from multiple agencies about an hour to get it under control. First responders were on scene for roughly four hours.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
It was a scary and unforgettable night for the Ness family, who lived in the home for 14 years. The family had to act quickly, narrowly escaping a very dangerous situation.
Scott Ness, the father, said he woke up to smoke alarms blaring.
"I was screaming fire, fire, get out, get out of your window, go we've got to get out," said Ness.
Ness was talking to his six children, who, along with Ness, managed to crawl out of windows on the second story. Using ladders, all seven were able to make it out alive.
After the fire broke out, Ness said there was only one thing on his mind.
"I would've done whatever it took to get my kids out, if I was still in there then so be it," said Ness.
Luckily, Amy Ness, Scott's wife, was not home at the time of the fire. Ted Ritchings, Scott and Amy's nephew, is thankful the seven who were are still standing before him.
"Everybody's alive, this is the kind of thing that people don't walk away from," said Ritchings.
Unfortunately, the Ness' two dogs did not make it out.
"We had a Golden Doodle and a Thailand Terrier that we had for a long time and they were really good for our family," said Ness. "It's the one regret that I do have, but I didn't have time to save the animals."
Still, Ness thanks God that he and his kids were able to walk away from the home unscathed.
"Most important thing is everybody is alive, we can always rebuild, we can always get more stuff, it's just stuff," said Ness.
The community has rallied behind the family. Clothes and donations can be taken to Oakley's Farm Market off of Route 50. The market is open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and will close down on November 1st.
If you do drop donations off, just tell a staff member you are there dropping off for the Ness family. After November 1st, you can still call the market if you want to make a donation.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family as well. You can access it here.