Covington family loses everything in fire just before Christmas
COVINGTON, Ga. - Around the time when most people look forward to a fresh start, Carolyn Garmon and her family are forced to start from scratch
"It's overwhelming," she said.
In less than 10 minutes, and just days before Christmas, her family of seven lost their Covington home to a fire.
Saturday, December 18, loved ones gathered at their Newton County home to celebrate 2-year-old Madison's birthday.
They didn't know hours later the house would burn down.
"I realized the front porch light wasn't working," Stephen Settlemires said.
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He said he went to the basement to check the breaker and it tripped. He went back upstairs to check what caused the problem, but by the time by the time Settlemires went back to the basement to try the breaker again, he says the garage was engulfed in flames.
That birthday party had ended and only three of the seven who live there were home at the time.
They survived, but their belongings and many of their pets-- including kittens, a bird, and a lizard, did not.
Covington crews say it was an electrical fire. The family says they used the garage as an extra bedroom to keep their blended family under one roof.
Settlemires says their TV and the game system were plugged into an extension cord in the garage.
"If you have a small little brown extension cord and TV and game is plugged in, please unplug it," he says. "It's not intended to hold that much power."
Garmon says she doesn't like to look at what's left of the house.
"It's hard to know we lost everything," she said. "We were just getting on our feet and able to have comfort. We had just paid off the furniture and TVs."
Garmon and her family were already reeling from the death of the 6-year-old grandson earlier this year. He had health issues from birth, so they looked forward to celebrating Christmas together and honoring his memory.
All seven displaced from the home are staying with family just up the street. When Garmon drives by, she says there's a painful reminder of this unanticipated new slate.