12/16/10 — Grocery store owners hurt in Dec. 6 fire

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Grocery store owners hurt in Dec. 6 fire

By Staff Reports
Published in News on December 16, 2010 2:00 PM

The owners of Carlie C's IGA grocery store are recovering at the UNC Burn Center after a Dec. 6 fire that destroyed their Dunn home.

Son Mac McLamb said his parents, Carlie C., 73, and Joyce McLamb, 75, are "doing a little better every day."

"All of everybody's prayers are working," he said.

He explained that the cause of the fire is still unknown and likely will be until his parents are able to talk more about what happened. He did say, though, that it was thanks to his mother that they both were able to escape the home alive.

And, he continued, while her injuries were initially worse, as of Wednesday, she was actually beginning to do a bit better than his father.

"My mother situation is a little better than my father's. A lot of it with my father is that he had some medical issues before the fire. She was in a little better health and so she has more ability to overcome this," McLamb said.

The McLambs own stores in Wayne County, as well as in Cumberland, Johnston and Harnett counties, and plan to open another store in Durham in March.

McLamb, who is company president, said the stores' operations haven't been affected, since his parents are no longer involved in day-to-day activities.

However, he did say that it has been a "challenging" holiday season, especially with two more extended family members recently being hospitalized for other illnesses as well.

"We're handling it pretty well. We're a strong family. If people could just continue to pray for us, that's what's working," he said.