Little Mackie McDougle III thought he glimpsed an early Christmas present at his Southwest Baltimore apartment before a one-alarm fire hit the home on Atlantic Avenue yesterday.

It was a yellow dump truck, the 5-year-old was sure of it.

"Naw," said his father, Mac McDougle Jr., 56, while surveying the fire and water damage. "Santa came and took it back with him to keep it safe. He'll bring it on Christmas."

The elder McDougle, a disabled truck driver, said he paid $79 a month to rent the public housing apartment near Mount Winans. He said his family lost just about everything but a couple of beds in the fire.

Fire Department investigators said the 11: 36 a.m. blaze was started in the basement by children playing with a lighter or matches.

The fire was confined to the basement but smoke and water and efforts by firefighters to contain the blaze damaged most of the unit.

McDougle said he'd been living for nine months in the apartment off Hollins Ferry Road with his girlfriend, Arlether Reeves, 47, a hotel laundry worker, and his son from a previous relationship. He did not have fire insurance.

The fire broke out, McDougle said, while a baby sitter was at the house with her young sons. McDougle had been on his way to a doctor's appointment but had to return home for something when he saw the flames.

A neighbor called 911 and the baby sitter and her boys made it out safely.

"I guess I'm going to have to wait until I get my check next month to start over," said McDougle. He said he receives $494 a month because of a disabling lung disease and gets $160 a month to raise Mackie. "I guess it'll have to come day by day," McDougle said.

Last night, the family was waiting for a visit from Red Cross social workers to see whether they could be put up in a shelter.

Today, McDougle said, the city is relocating them to a nearby public housing unit in Westport.

"I'm hurting now, but I keep the spirit in me," said McDougle. "We didn't lose anything we can't get back, and nobody got hurt."

Pub Date: 12/16/98