Don’t mind the fire in front of 245 Unity Lane in Faith Park today. It’s destroying something, but it’s something good.

Habitat-Selma! will sponsor its first mortgage burning at 4 p.m. today to celebrate Reginal and Eunice Blake’s paying off their mortgage in less than 15 years.

The Blakes were one of the first families to have their home built by the Selma chapter of Habitat some 12 years ago. They had a 15-year mortgage on their house, and have now paid it off with three years to spare.

They are the first Habitat family in Selma to accomplish this and the first in the state. But that’s not the only reason to celebrate.

This is the 15th year that Habitat-Selma! has been in existence and the 25th year for the national organization.

Foster added that they hope to have 50 homes built by 2005.

The biggest project the group has done to date is the construction of 20 homes in Faith Park, which took place over the course of a single week in 1999.

The mortgage burning will kick off a fund-raiser to obtain the money needed to finish Faith Park.