Photo Credit: NC Firefighters

March 18. UPDATE 10 AM. By Dave Yochum. A devastating fire at the Admiral’s Quarters condo complex has displaced multiple families, quite possibly all the occupants of a building at 18741 Nautical Drive.

Resident Billy Mallette, who discovered the fire, took this photo

Molly and Taylor McClure saved Bible, 2 snakes and a cat

Billy Mallette, a resident, said he awoke around 4:20 am to fire crawling up the exterior walls of the wood-frame building. He lost everything in the fire, as did Molly McClure and her husband Taylor, who were married only three months ago.

Mallette said he pounded on residents’ doors as the fire was spreading. Molly McClure was able to rescue a Bible from the burning room before fleeing.

Neighbors said there was a loud bang around 4:20 this morning. The fire over-spread the roofs of multiple units.

Mallette

Firefighters from Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville responded, as well as Charlotte. Firefighters were on duty at both Cornelius Fire Stations No. 1 and No. 2 at the time of the incident.

The building had no fire sprinklers, according to Mayor Pro Tem Michael Miltich. Building inspectors are on their way to the scene to determine if any portion of what remains is habitable.

Property records show there are 18 units in the building. The units are in the $180,000 to $200,000 range, according to Mecklenburg County property records. The total loss could be well above $2 million.

“We suffered a horrible fire, displacing 18 families,” Miltich said. “It will take a lot of time to sort this out and put their lives back together.”

Children’s toys and belongings overwhelm an SUV

Firefighters, police and fire marshalls were on scene several hours after the conflagration began. There were

Top floor burned out on the street side

no reported injuries, but there was massive fire, smoke and water damage through much of the three-story structure.

The Admiral’s Quarters complex is on Nautical Drive, off West Catawba at the foot of Westmoreland.