Ron Rivera of the Panthers and his family were spared a serious fire thanks to a safety plan.
CHARLOTTE — Panthers head coach Ron Rivera’s house is in, well, a rebuilding year.
“I gasped, and as soon as I gasped, he popped awake,” Stephanie Rivera says of the moment she knew a fire broke out in her house.
It was Monday, January 5 at 4 a.m., when Ron and Stephanie Rivera woke suddenly to the smell of smoke. A fire sparked at the 7,000-square foot home on Heydon Hall Circle in south Charlotte, which would do $500,000 in damage. Bedrooms, the family room and the attic were all scorched and left with water damage.
“It was like you had five guys in there smoking cigars. It was so thick, and it was crazy,” Ron Rivera said.
Weird, since they were unable to locate the fire. Thanks to the home security system, Rivera went for the kitchen fire extinguisher just as 911 was being summoned. According to Rivera, “There was no smoke when I went from the kitchen to the bedroom.” I was thinking, ‘What’s burning?’ as it was only in the bedroom.”
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The two brothers and their spouses, who were in town for the Wild Card game versus Arizona the day before, were staying with Ron and Stephanie at the time. Mickey, one of his brothers, has been battling the disease. After stealing every last bit of his prescription, the family members ran away. In minutes, all six of them were securely on the lawn. After that, Rivera backed his car all the way to the end of the driveway so Mickey could stay toasty while firefighters tackled the fire.
