Strong winds on Sunday (Jan. 12) almost pushed a fire into a family's home in the Wheeler community, but fire fighters put the blaze out just in time.
A garage caught fire in Wheeler on Adams Road on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Authorities said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.
"A lot of black smoke, flames through the roof, the building was already on the ground," said Jeremy Oxford with the Wheeler Fire Department.
Fire officials said inside that building there was 1948 Dodge, a 1955 Ford Pickup and a boat.
Aubrey Baughman grew up in the house and remembers playing in the garage and attached stables.
"We used to play basketball games," he said. "We had a big basketball goal on it we played games on it and climbed in the attic of it when I was a kid."
The strong wind almost made the loss for the family even more severe.
"The wind was a huge problem for us," Jeremy Oxford, assistant fire chief for Wheeler, said. "It was pushing fire into the field next to us and then into the house."
The fire was contained by volunteer fire fighters from Wheeler and Wedington departments at just the right time, according to Oxford.
"I feel like we owe our home to these people, because they stopped it," Homeowner Carolyn Baughman said. "Part of our home had been bubbled up, ready to start on fire."
A neighbor said she saw a pickup near the garage catch fire first, which was a very important vehicle to the homeowners.
Carolyn Baughman's husband has a muscular disease, making it difficult to walk.
"He can`t climb, so this truck was just the right size for him to get in and out," she said.
But overall, the family said they are thankful that the fire was put out before it reached the home.
"It`s a miracle, it really is a blessing that, that was all that was taken," said Baughman.
The homeowners told 5NEWS the garage was insured, but the antique vehicles were not.