Former North Carolina Firefighter, Sons Die in Fire

Aug. 1--ELLENBORO -- An early morning house fire Tuesday killed a former firefighter and his two children.

Matt Robbins, previously a firefighter with the Ellenboro Volunteer Fire Department, and children Mason and Dustin died in the blaze, a neighbor said.

"They were just good people, good neighbors," said Bob Forbes, of Upholstery Fabrics Outlet located yards away from Robbins' 226 Hill St. home.

Several children's bicycles lay in the front yard of the charred home.

A pink and purple basketball hoop stood off to the side.

A melted water pistol was found among the debris, near where the fire appeared to originate.

Forbes said he knew the family about four years and learned of their death around 6 a.m. Tuesday.

"They were friendly kids. They loved their dog," he said of the Robbins children.

The smell of ash remained in the air Tuesday afternoon as the family dog rested beneath a white pickup truck outside the home.

A bumper sticker on the truck read, "I'm Proud of My Cub Scout."

"They would come in here and chat," Forbes said of Mason and Dustin. "They loved life. They loved to play. They loved their daddy."

Firefighters at the department Tuesday declined to comment on Robbins and the fire.

To see more of The Shelby Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.shelbystar.com/. Copyright (c) 2007, The Shelby Star, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.