WANCHESE, N.C. (WAVY) — A Wanchese woman’s house that she lived in for 43 years burned to the ground last month. Now, the community is rallying behind her to help.
The house saw the birth of her children, countless holiday celebrations, and little knick-knacks collected over the years.
It’s home to so many precious memories and collectibles for Lana Daniels Beacham. The plot of land where it once stood is home to so many more.
She’s spent her entire life in Wanchese and in one moment in April, her entire life changed right before her eyes.
“This is my den. This is where I used to sit. I was sitting right there when the fire started,” Daniels Beacham said. “I was sitting on my couch, and I heard a crackling noise. When I got ready to walk out, my curtain was in blazes.”
She watched her house on Mill Landing Road go up in flames.
“Oh, I loved it,” she said. “I didn’t have a whole lot but what I did have … anybody that come in there said it was the most cozy home. Me, I saved everything. I wasn’t a hoarder but I saved… I had pictures of my family everywhere.”
“I had a bunch of home videos and that’s what broke my heart,” she added. “I lost all of my home videos.”
Those memories still have a home in her heart and mind. There are some things a fire just can’t destroy, like the indelible connection to the plot of land her home once stood.
“I’ve lived on this same land for 71 years,” she said. “I was born right there in the house in front of me.”
Now, people near and far are stepping up to help.
“I really have a lot of people who love me,” she said.
Her son’s coworkers in Raleigh created a GoFundMe to help raise money for her. People have already donated more than $3,000. The goal is to raise about $5,000.
“I’d like to get a doublewide [trailer] or something,” she said.
The decision where to put her new home was easy — the lot is Lana’s… And “Lana’s lot” it will always be.
“Every once in a while, I think ‘maybe I’ll move out of Wanchese. Maybe I’ll go somewhere else,” she said. “I thought oh, that would be terrible to have to leave right here. It’s my home.”
Download the WAVY News App to keep up with the latest news, weather and sports from WAVY-TV 10. Available in both the Apple and Google Play stores.
