Ernie Irvan to rebuild

The cause of the fire that destroyed the Mooresville family home of Ernie Irvan is still under investigation. The process is still ongoing and there does not appear to be any signs of foul play. The fire erupted on Saturday March 25th at 12:28 PM. The Irvans were returning home from a family vacation in the Bahamas. The fire was catastrophic, destroying the entire structure and it's contents. The family lost all of its possessions. Irvan just finished completion of a trophy room that housed his personal racing memorabilia.

Irvan lost all the trophies from his 15 NASCAR Winston Cup victories and 22 pole positions. BUSCH and Craftsman Truck Series trophies were also destroyed, as well as awards, driver uniforms, helmets and other mementos of his career.

Nine fire companies and over 14 equipment trucks responded from Rowan and Iredell county. Although the house could not be saved, the nearby garage and its contents were unharmed. All the Irvan family pets were accounted for, with the exception of their salt water fish.

Ernie Irvan, his wife Kim and the family are brokenhearted over the loss of their home.

"This is a devastating event," stated Kim Irvan, "even though we can replace most items, it is the little things, the pictures, personal gifts and children's belongings that are the hardest to replace. We will rebuild, but it is going to take some time. This is our home, we are grateful for everything we have in this community, we are dedicated to our friends, family and all the people have been so kind to us."

"I feel real lucky that we were not in the house at the time" Ernie Irvan stated, "I think it will take a bit of time before we will really can react to what has happened to our home. It is really hard to lose everything, however, we will continue to move forward with our life."

The Irvans are residing with friends and family. They will temporally relocate until their house is rebuilt.

The Irvan family would like to thank all the Volunteer Fire companies and their families who helped fight the blaze.
Atwell Volunteer FD #401, 402,405, Squad 404
Enochville Volunteer FD # 49
China Grove Volunteer FD # 436
Mt. Mourne Volunteer FD
Shepherd Volunteer FD
Mooresville Fire Department Station 1 Ladder 1
Salisbury Mobil Command Unit
South Iredell Volunteer FD Locke Fire Department # 622 #624
Rowan County Sheriff's Office
NC State Highway Patrol
The Mooresville Drag Strip for donating food for the fire fighter