‘An out of body experience’: Volunteer firefighter loses everything in house fire

STEWARTSVILLE, Va. – A Bedford County firefighter found himself on the other side of a house fire this weekend.

Joe Moore of the Stewartsville-Chamblissburg Volunteer Fire Department lost everything after his house on Lookout Ridge Road went up in flames Sunday morning.

“To see it from start to finish was an out of body experience,” Moore said. “The moment you think it could never be you, it changes.”

Moore told 10 News the fire destroyed the house within just fifteen minutes. He and his cat escaped the fire without any injuries, but nearly all of his belongings are gone.

“My Yeti cups are still intact, but as far as anything else, I haven’t found anything yet,” Moore said.

Moore credits smoke detectors with saving his life.

“The smoke detectors were the biggest indication that this was something more than just me burning a pizza,” Moore said.

Moore has been a volunteer firefighter for nine years, but had never experienced a fire while out of uniform before his house burned down.

“We come in when the fire is already to the point it is now: sometimes it’s a little better, sometimes it’s a little worse,” Moore said. “Once the guys got here and got to work, I started to calm back down and the training started to kick in.”

The Stewartsville-Chamblissburg Volunteer Fire Department is continuing to help Moore after the fire. The department is raising money for him to replace his belongings, and Moore is sleeping at the fire station while he waits to rebuild his home.

“This is literally like family and best friends coming to you in your time of need,” Moore said. “There’s so many people wanting to help me, but the volunteer fire departments around need help, too.”

The department is not doing online donations but is taking them by mail or directly to a member. They are requesting cash, gift cards or prayers. You can send donations to the Stewartsville-Chamblissburg Volunteer Fire Department at 7797 Jordantown Road, Vinton, VA, 24179.

Multiple fire departments worked to bring the fire under control. The cause of the fire remains unknown.