Mebane woman relives loss as fire-damaged apartment building is demolished

For Jamey Heuser, the demolition of a fire-damaged Stonebrook Apartments building in Mebane was not cleanup. It was the second loss.

Ten months after flames forced residents out of the 400 building off South 5th Street, Heuser watched the structure come down and felt the same grief again, this time with no chance to go back inside for the things she left behind. The building had been condemned as too unsafe to enter after the fire, ending her hope of recovering belongings that carried deep personal meaning.

The original fire broke out around 2 a.m. on June 27, 2025, at Stonebrook Apartments in Mebane. Firefighters saw flames through the roof of two upstairs apartments, and the blaze ultimately destroyed eight apartments and displaced 21 residents, including five men, 10 women and six juveniles. One family pet died in the fire. Crews brought the fire under control in about 40 minutes, but remained on scene for roughly three hours to extinguish hot spots. Damage was estimated at more than $1 million.

The cause remains undetermined. Firefighters initially believed the blaze began on the top floor or deck area of an upstairs apartment, and the Mebane Fire Marshal’s Office has continued to work with the Alamance County Fire Marshal and the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal. For residents like Heuser, the unanswered questions have only extended the recovery. She said insurance complications have made the process even more frustrating as she has spent nearly a year trying to understand what happened and whether anything could have been salvaged.

Heuser lost two cats in the fire, along with items that cannot be replaced: a photo from her aunt, a baby picture, her grandfather’s military flag, her dog’s ashes, childhood trophies and medical equipment. She said the Mebane community helped after the blaze by donating clothes and essentials, and she leaned on an online group for house-fire survivors for support from people who understood the wreckage that follows a disaster long after the flames are out.

The response after the fire included the American Red Cross, which helped arrange temporary accommodations for displaced residents. Some people used the Stonebrook leasing office as a temporary shelter immediately after the blaze. Stonebrook Apartments, at 1301 E Dogwood Dr., is a garden-style complex with one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and the demolition of one damaged building closed the final chapter on a fire that has left some residents still searching for stability, closure and the personal history they could not carry out with them.