From Rescue to Restoration: North Carolina Lawmaker Honored for Heroic Act and Home Donation

State Rep. Dean Arp received a standing ovation on the House floor Tuesday for a life-saving act of heroism and a follow-up gesture that helped restore hope for a North Carolina woman who lost everything in a house fire.

According to The News & Observer, the recognition came months after Arp and his wife were driving through Richmond County North Carolina and spotted a home engulfed in flames. Without hesitation, Arp turned the car around and rushed into the burning home, where he found 77-year-old Esther Jones, a cancer patient in a wheelchair, and brought her to safety just before the fire consumed the house.

The rescue was only the beginning.

As reported by both The News & Observer and the Carolina Journal, Arp continued to support Jones and her family in the aftermath of the February blaze — donating to a GoFundMe, drawing public attention to her situation, and ultimately helping coordinate a permanent solution.

That effort came full circle last Friday when Arp joined Jones at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Hoffman, North Carolina, where she was presented with a brand-new, fully equipped manufactured home. The home was donated by the North Carolina Manufactured and Modular Home Builders Association (NCMMHA), whose members were moved by Jones’ story.

“When we heard about what Ms. Jones had been through, we knew we had to help,” said Billy Owens, president of the NCMMHA, in a statement reported by the Carolina Journal. “Our members are in the business of building homes — but more importantly, we’re in the business of building communities.”

At the ceremony, Arp personally pushed Jones in her wheelchair through the doorway of her new home as she exclaimed, “This is beautiful” and “I love it.”

“This isn’t just a house,” Arp said, according to the Carolina Journal. “It’s a symbol of hope, resilience, and the power of community.”

Arp, a top budget writer in the House, downplayed his role in the rescue, instead praising the generosity of others. “That’s the best of North Carolina,” he said. “In times of trouble, we help each other. You can’t do everything, but you can do something.”