QVC Distribution Center fire in Rocky Mount blamed for death of 21-year-old worker

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- One worker died in a huge fire at the QVC Distribution Center in Rocky Mount.

The fire broke out early Saturday morning with 300 employees inside working through the holiday rush.

The fire burned for several hours, engulfing the massive warehouse and forcing everybody inside the building to evacuate.

Unfortunately, one contractor working inside the building was unable to escape.

On Sunday morning, 21-year-old Kevon Ricks' family was informed that his body had been found.

Ricks had only been working at the site for three weeks.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with authorities noting there have been no arrests.

The QVC Distribution Center has been in the area for 21 years, and is one of the largest local employers, with the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce posting on Facebook that up to 2,500 families would be affected by the fire. The Chamber said it is collecting donations for affected employees.

"This is devastating for our county. It is very difficult, this is a blow to our local economy. But most importantly, we are concerned about the employees who work at that facility and want you to know that there's lots of resources that we're working very hard to coordinate," Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans said.

QVC thanked first responders for working to put out the fire and help workers who escaped. In addition, the company said it was taking the following steps to help its employees:

• We are providing shutdown pay to all team members unable to work due to the facility shutdown from December 18 through December 31 and are actively assessing next steps for 2022.
• We have set up an alternate site for Rocky Mount team members to meet in person with our People team leaders for one-on-one support.
• We have created a team member information hotline with updates on this tragedy and the opportunity to leave questions.
• We are reminding team members about our Employee Assistance Program, which provides counseling and other health-related referrals. This program is available to all team members and can be called at any time.