Lightning strike causes fire at 100-year-old Gordon home

GORDON, Ga. — Those people storms in excess of the previous couple of days have broken dozens of houses in Central Ga.

Judy Brown of Gordon had no thought that her home – more than 100 yrs old– would burn down soon after a lightning strike.

We went out there to locate out how the spouse and children is handling the decline of their heritage. 

Her father bought it in 1939 and she was born right here 3 years later. Now, she only has the outfits on her again, and she states now all her reminiscences are shed.

“I’m heartbroken, I am heartbroken,” Judy Brown claims. 

Brown says that she got a get in touch with from her son Wednesday night. Someone noticed lightning strike the tree in entrance of her house and it started the fire. She watched the property she shared with her spouse and loved ones for the earlier 50 several years burn off down as the to start with Gordon volunteer firefighter arrived. 

“I missing all of my pictures and I lost all of my jewelry, my marriage ceremony rings, his wedding ceremony ring, every little thing. It just broke my heart to know that that portion of my daily life was long gone,” she states.

Brown says a ton of the harm could’ve been prevented if Gordon had a comprehensive-time hearth division.

“There was a fire hydrant straight across from my household. If we had had far more men and women, improved response, we most likely could’ve salvaged some items,” Brown suggests.

Gordon volunteer fire chief Terry Eady was the to start with and only human being to respond right until fire vans arrived 12 minutes later on from Irwinton and McIntyre.

“Any presented working day, we might not have a fireman, and then we have to rely on just myself and a handful of volunteers,” he suggests. 

Eady claims no city in Wilkinson County has a entire-time fire division and they hope the county will fund full-time employees quickly. 

“Compact cities just cannot afford to pay for it like large cities can, you know? We have to run on a restricted spending plan and we just just can’t pay for it entire-time,” Eady suggests. 

Judy Brown will stay with relatives until eventually she can get back again on her toes. Brown needs to thank her family members and the volunteer hearth departments in the surrounding counties in trying to help save her home. She suggests she wouldn’t be in this article with no them.

Eady says Wilkinson County wants more volunteer firefighters. If you might be intrigued, you can arrive at out to the county’s hearth main.