Clemson football player Lannden Zanders accidentally burns family home

Lannden Zanders always had a fascination with fire.

Since middle school, he would build fire pits and camp out in his backyard. So it was not unusual for Zanders, now a Clemson defensive back, to do the same Saturday night.

Early Sunday morning, things had changed. The house was on fire.

He was the only one in the home in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. His father, Lindell, was away on a beach weekend. Clemson’s team had a game at Pittsburgh and Zanders, out because of injury, was not on the travel roster.

Lindell’s phone rang at 4:25 a.m..

"Lannden was crying hysterically," Lindell said. "He was like, ‘Daddy, the house is on fire. The house is burning down.' "

Lannden was asleep inside the house when the fire started. He woke up because his fan stopped. The fire department had turned off the power.

"He said he went in the house and went to bed," Lindell said. "When he woke up, the fire department was already there. He said his fan cut off and he opened his eyes and saw flames and smoke."

Lindell said Lannden is "traumatized" by the incident.

"He’s taking it hard. He feels like it was his fault," Lindell said. "I tell him, ‘Son, I don’t care about the house. As long as you’re OK, that’s all that matters to me. I can replace the house. I can’t replace you.’ "

Fire pits may not be comforting to Lannden anymore.

"When he was 10 years old, he would build a fire pit, put some rocks in it, cook hot dogs and stay by himself in the woods," Lindell said. "When he comes home, it doesn’t matter if it’s summertime and 110 degrees outside, he will have a fire pit. He’ll order pizza, have it delivered to the house and he’ll sit by that fire pit."

Lindell said he is thankful and even joked that Lannden remodeled the house with an "open roof concept."

"People say, ‘How are you smiling?’ " Lindell said. "I tell them it’s because my son is alive. All this material stuff doesn’t matter to me. My boys are the reason I live. They are everything."

Lannden’s older brother, Quenten Zanders, is a running back at Western Carolina.

"It’s only by the grace of God that my youngest son is here," Lindell said. "I’m happy."

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football's Lannden Zanders accidentally burns family home