Updated 4/3/12
As construction of a two-story home in Richlands continues for a family displaced by a deadly Southwest area house fire two months ago, the Pittmans, who lost three children, will speak publicly about the tragedy for the first time this week.
Sammy Pittman will meet with reporters at the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. He was at work the day an early morning fire killed or hospitalized his entire family on Feb. 23.
His wife, Johnetta Pittman, and his 10-year-old daughter Hannah Pittman spent two weeks in intensive care at the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
Samantha Pittman, 16, and 15-year-old twins Adrianne Pittman and Gabrielle Pittman were treated for serious injuries and released from New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Jonathan Pittman, 4, was treated and released from Onslow Memorial Hospital.
Tabitha Pittman, 12, Elijah Pittman, 8, and Gabriel Pittman, 6, died. They were buried March 7.
Their rented home on Wilmington Highwaywas destroyed when a malfunctioning refrigerator caused a fire in the kitchen that quickly spread to the rest of the house, state fire officials said.
Tabitha died trying to save her younger brothers downstairs. The older girls were injured jumping from a second-story window while saving the youngest child, investigators said.
The house was the second the Pittmans lost to fire. They were also displaced in 2005 when a home they were renting was destroyed by a blaze caused by unattended kerosene heaters, according to archived news reports.
The community has rallied around the hurting family, raising more than $100,000, according to estimates from people collecting money for the Pittmans. Funds were taken up at the Sheriff’s Office, at several events and in two bank accounts, one of which is set up to help the family with a new home.
The new home being built for the Pittmans at 101 Nan St. is at the site of another recent fire that burned down the house previous located at that address.
The backyard of Anne Flowers’ house on Fay Street is across from where the Pittmans will soon call home. She said the lot where the Pittmans will live has been empty since the previous house burned down around four years ago.
“I’m excited to see the Pittman’s get this house,” she said, adding that she believed she taught Sammy Pittman when he was in high school. She said she intends to make the Pittmans feel at home in the Sylvester Heights neighborhood.
Richard Ward, the owner of the lot where the Pittman home is being erected and who owns an adjacent home, could not be reached for comment.
G&T Building owner Greg Justice, who has donated his time to frame the house, said he believes the home will be complete in about 60 days.
Contractors in the fields of concrete, plumbing, electrical, roofing, carpentry, painting and more have donated their time to build the home. Supplies have been denoted as well.
Organizers are asking for continued donations and prayers. A volunteer day will be held in the future.
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Updated 3/15/12
A mother and daughter severely injured in a fatal Feb. 23 house fire in the Southwest area have been released from the hospital, officials said.
Johnetta Pittman, and Hannah Pittman, 10, are now at a temporary home with the surviving members of their family. Of the 10-member Pittman family, three children died, four were briefly hospitalized, two were sent to the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill and one member, the father who was not home at the time of the fire, was unharmed.
Johnetta and Hannah spent three weeks in intensive care at the burn center. The mother had lung damage and the girl had third-degree burns covering her head and shoulders.
Tabitha Pittman, 12; Elijah Pittman, 8; and Gabriel Pittman, 6; died of smoke inhalation, according to medical examiners.
Samantha Pittman, 16, and 15-year-old twins Adrianne Pittman and Gabrielle Pittman were treated for serious injuries and released from New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Jonathan Pittman, 4, was treated and released from Onslow Memorial Hospital.
The early morning blaze that destroyed the two-story house at 2124 Wilmington Highway was the result of a malfunctioning refrigerator, according to a report by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
State fire investigators said they did not find smoke detectors in the home.
Their father, Sammy Pittman, expressed his thanks for the community’s assistance and donations, said Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown.
“Sammy Pittman has asked everyone to allow them to have a couple of weeks alone as a family,” Brown said, adding that Sammy Pittman would speak to news media in a couple of weeks to publicly express all their love and appreciation to everyone at the sit down interview.”
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Updated 03/07/12
Wednesday afternoon a Community, friends, and family buried three children killed in a house fire last month.
For the first time, we saw father Sammie Pittman as he led his only living son and daughters into the 600 seat sanctuary to say goodbye to three children from their family. Absent from the funeral was Johnetta and Hannah- the mother and daughter still in the hospital.
White caskets rolled into waiting hearses and the processional quieted Highway 258. Glenda Padgett from Baker's Restaurant just across the street from the burial site had to come out and see it as her own version of a tribute.
"We just- we love the family. We don't know them, but we love them all. It was just a terrible tragedy. I think one of the worst our county's seen in a long time. The Pittman family has just been in our hearts and in our prayers the last several days," said Padgett.
The community continues its outreach to the Pittman family. As we told you earlier this week, a group is pooling resources to build the family a new home. You can find details on how to help at the bottom of this story.
WITN will respect the family's request that media cameras not be present inside the funeral at Tar Landing Baptist Church.
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Updated: 03/05/12
Since a fire at a home outside Jacksonville late last month took the lives of three children in the Pittman family after Tabitha, Elijah, and Gabriel died in a house fire. The community has donated clothes, furniture, and money and now they're working together to build the Pittman family a brand new home. The land has been secured and the foundation poured.
The plan has been under wraps since the day after the fire, but now we can officially unveil the news. Several people who live in Onslow County have pulled together, and they're building the Pittman family a brand new home. The land is on Nan street in Richlands which has been donated. Community members have been pooling resources of skilled labor, building supplies and cash.
The Pittman family was offered a few floor plans to choose from. Those coordinating the efforts say they want to stay anonymous and stay focused on the project and the Pittmans.
The target completion date for the house is about 90 days from Monday.
If you would like to help, PNC Bank has set up a fund for the Pittman Family home. Mail checks to PO Box 188, Richlands, NC 28574 made out to the Sammy Pittman Family Building Fund.
The email if you want to help build or donate supplies is SPFhousingfund@gmail.com.
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Obituary:
Tabitha Paige Pittman, 11, Elijah Joseph Pittman, 9, and Gabriel Benjamin Pittman, 7, all of Jacksonville died Thursday, February 23, 2012 at their residence.
They were members of the House of Prayer in Turkey, NC. Tabitha was a Cheerleader for the Onslow County Recreation Dept. Southwest District, Elijah and Gabriel played Basketball for the Onslow County Recreation Dept. Southwest District.
A Funeral Service will be on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the Tarlanding Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Onslow Memorial Park.
They are survived by their parents: Samuel Joseph Pittman and Johnetta Jones Pittman; brother: Jonathan David Pittman of the home; sisters: Samantha Irene Pittman, Gabrielle Elaine Pittman, Adrienne Marie Pittman, and Hannah Ann Pittman all of the home.
Condolences may be made at www.johnsonfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements by Johnson Funeral Home, Jacksonville.
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Updated 2/28/12 at 6:25 p.m.
The mother of eight who lost three children in a Thursday house fire in the Southwest area remains, along with one of her daughters, in critical condition.
Johnetta Pittman and her daughter Hannah Pittman, 10, are being treated at Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
Samantha Pittman, 16, was released Tuesday from New Hanover Regional Medical Center, according to information from Sheriff Ed Brown.
Adrienne and Gabrielle Pittman, 15-year-old twins, were released from NHRMC on Sunday, and Jonathan Pittman, 4, was treated and released from Onslow Memorial Hospital the day of the fire that destroyed the Pittman home at 1224 Wilmington Highway.
Family patriarch Sammy Pittman was at work when the fire occurred. He told Brown on Tuesday that he not been able to communicate with his wife and daughter since they have been heavily sedated since arriving at the burn center. Staff there said they are improving as well as could be expected, Brown said.
Johnetta has lung damage while Hannah Pittman has third-degree burns on most of her upper body.
The oldest three girls were injured while jumping from an upstairs window in the second-story house. The youngest boy was dropped safely out of that window by one of the oldest sisters to another waiting to catch him on the ground.
Tabitha Pittman, 12; Elijah Pittman, 8; and Gabriel Pittman, 6, died in the fire.
Sammy Pittman has asked that everyone who believes in prayer to keep his family in their prayers. He also expressed appreciation to the community, according to Brown’s press release.
Pittman said it has been prayer that has given him the strength to go on at this time.
A preliminary report by state fire investigators states an electrical short in the kitchen may have caused the blaze.
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Updated 2/27/12 at 2:37 PM
Twin teenage girls injured in a Thursday house fire in the Southwest area that killed three of their siblings have been released from care while three more family members remain hospitalized, officials said.
Adrienne and Gabrielle Pittman, 15, were released from New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington on Sunday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The girls were fitted with back braces for injuries they suffered jumping out of a two-story window while their house burned, their aunt, Tarrah Stiles, told The Daily News.
Samantha Pittman, 16, remains hospitalized at NHRMC in good condition.
The girls’ mother, Johnetta Pittman, and their 10-year-old sister, Hannah Pittman, remain at the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill in critical but stable condition. The youngest Pittman child, Jonathan Pittman, 4, was treated and released from Onslow Memorial Hospital on Thursday, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.
Hannah Pittman has third-degree burns on most of her upper body while her mother is suffering from severe smoke inhalation. Sammy Pittman, patriarch of the family, said they are doing as well as could be expected, according to a news release from the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
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Updated at 5:51 p.m.
Friday’s aftermath of a deadly house fire in the Southwest area the day before saw victims recovering at different rates, firefighters coping with the experience and investigators zeroing in on the cause of the blaze that claimed the lives of three young siblings and hospitalized six other family members.
An initial probe indicates the fire was caused by an electrical short, according to federal, state and local fire investigators.
Authorities had said earlier in the day that three teenagers injured in the fire would be released from the hospital, but said late Friday that wasn’t the case.
“While our excitement may have been dampened by this news, it has not destroyed our faith and hope,” Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said in a news release. “Continue to pray for the Sammy Pittman family.”
Samantha Pittman, 16, and her sisters Adrianne Pittman and Gabrielle Pittman, 15, were listed in good condition Friday at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. Their injuries were mostly cuts and bruises from jumping from a second-story window during the fire that destroyed their home at 2124 Wilmington Highway.
Their sister, Hannah Pittman, 10, and mother, Johnetta Pittman, remained in treatment at the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill. Hannah Pittman has third-degree burns on her arms, face and back. Johnetta Pittman has lung damage from smoke inhalation.
Jonathan Pittman, 4, was treated and released from Onslow Memorial Hospital. He received minor injuries from being dropped from the window by one of his sisters to another sister waiting to catch him on the ground.
Tabitha Pittman, 12, Elijah Pittman, 8, and Gabriel Pittman, 6, died in the fire. They were on the first floor of the house. Tabitha tried to save her younger brothers, fire investigators said.
Sammy Pittman, Johnetta’s husband and father of the eight children, was at work at the time of the blaze.
Firefighters were coping well with the tragic situation, according to local volunteer fire chiefs.
A stress management meeting was offered Thursday night for any first responders who wanted to attend. Individual counseling was also offered afterward, said Glenn Taylor, assistant fire chief with Southwest Volunteer Fire Department.
“Everyone’s doing OK,” he said.
While traumatic, the fatal fire was something most firefighters in this area have dealt with before, said Rhodestown Road VFD Chief Martin Updegraff.
“We’ve seen it before,” he said. “The next day does give you time to pause and think about it, but we’ve been through it before.”
With the fire extinguished and the emergency vehicles gone, state fire investigators with Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation; and the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office began the task of determining the cause of the blaze. The SBI’s preliminary report states an electrical short in the kitchen may have caused the fire.
Property owner Suzan Cottle was at the house Friday afternoon overseeing work to board up the burned-out structure.
“We just want to keep people out at this point and make it safe,” she said, adding that she wasn’t sure whether the decades-old house would be rebuilt.
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Updated at 8:58 p.m.
Taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington were: Samantha Pittman, 16, and 14-year-old twins Adrianne and Gabrielle Pittman. Jonathan Pittman, 4, has been released from Onslow Memorial Hospital. Hanna, 10, has been airlifted to the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
To escape the flame in the burning house the older children jumped from a second-story window with one of them dropping their 4-year-old brother out the window to a waiting sibling below, authorities said.
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Authorities have released the names of three children killed in a morning house fire in the Southwest area.
Those children are 12-year-old Tabitha Pittman, 8-year-old Elijah Pittman, and 6-year-old Gabriel Pittman.
Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said the three children were on the first floor of the home.
Updated at 12:18 p.m.
Seven hours after a deadly house fire on Wilmington Highway, more than two dozen fire fighters and emergency workers line a path from the home's front door to the back of an ambulance with tarps to prevent the public from seeing the removal of three children who died in the blaze.
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Updated at 11:35 a.m.
Three children died, five were hospitalized and their mother is in critical condition after an early morning fire destroyed their Southwest area home.
Sammy Pittman was at work when his home at 2124 Wilmington Highway was engulfed in flames. His wife Johnetta and five of their children made it out of the burning house severely injured, but alive. Three of their children did not. The names of the children have not been officially released. The decedents range in age from 14 to 10.
Johnetta Pittman has been flown to the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill. Three of her children are at Onslow Memorial Hospital and two are at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Taking a momentary break from securing the burned out structure, firefighters placed three flower bouquets outside the front window of the downstairs room of the two-story house where the children died.
While the blaze was mostly out within 40 minutes of the arrival of firefighters who received a 5:21 a.m. emergency call, smoke and an occasional flare-up could be seen in the late morning.
Around 50 firefighters from Southwest, Verona, Rhodestown and Haws Run volunteer fire departments responded to the blaze, said Norman Bryson, director of Onslow County Emergency Services.
Fire officials were overhauling the debris at noontime, making sure nothing was left smoldering, said Southwest Assistant Fire Chief Glenn Taylor.
It was a different story when Taylor arrived earlier in the morning.
“Every downstairs window had flames coming out and the entire front porch roof had collapsed,” Taylor said.
Two sheriff’s deputies, Mike Hardison and Weldon Ferrell, entered the burning home in an attempt to reach the trapped children and had to be treated for smoke inhalation, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.
Chris Tuthrie, a neighbor who arrived first at the fire, said he pulled into the driveway to find the house covered in smoke.
“There was pure black smoke all around there and I saw the front door was engulfed in flames,” he said.
Shortly after Tuthrie arrived two Marines pulled into the driveway and tried to get to the children, but couldn’t, Tuthrie said.
A woman was outside screaming, “I’ve got kids in the house,” Tuthrie said. He also saw some children walking around outside.
One of the children, a young girl, walked up to Tuthrie and asked him to help her. He said he feared touching her because her arms and shoulders were so severely burned. Her hair was gone and she was covered in black soot.
“I was afraid to touch her; I did not know what to do,” he said. “I’m so worried about that little girl, what happened to her. It was like a horror movie, that’s what it was.”
Extended family at the scene said they were in shock.
“We just ask everyone to keep us in their prayers,” said Don and Tarrah Stiles, in-laws to the Pittmans.
Investigators will attempt to determine a cause after the scene has been secured and the fire is completely extinguished, Bryson said.
Because his senior fire investigator is on leave dealing with health issues, Brown said he was turning the probe over to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
This is the second house fire in which the Pittman family has lost their home. A family friend told The Daily News that the Pittmans lost everything they owned about eight years ago to fire.
