Winder Family Loses Everything in House Fire

WINDER - A Barrow County family is in a bad spot after they lose everything in a house fire just days before Thanksgiving.

Tabby Farmer said she awoke to popping noises and initially thought somebody might be trying to break in, but once she came to, she realized the house was on fire and every second counted.

She woke her boyfriend up and he instantly thought about his 63-year-old mother, who was sound asleep with her boyfriend.

"I panicked.  I didn't know what to do,"  Paul Simonton said. 

Quick thinking by  Simonton and his girlfriend got his mom, Sheila Simonton, and her boyfriend, Stanley Dyer,  out alive before the house went up in flames.

Barrow County firefighters told FOX 5 an unattended wood-burning stove started the fire about 4:45 Monday morning.

Officials said when the temperatures drop into the 20's, homeowners should make sure to inspect and clean their  heating sources.

If you would like to help this family, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/ebbpqs6c.