A Red Cross Disaster Action Team from Effingham County was on the scene early Sunday morning after a fire destroyed a wood frame home in Guyton where a father, mother and their two children, 9 and 4, resided.
According to Red Cross volunteers, the father said one of the dogs woke him and his wife around 3 a.m. ”The bedroom was filled with smoke so I broke a window and my wife and I both jumped out of the window. Luckily, the kids spent the night at their grandparent’s home and have not been told of the fire yet.” he said. “Once outside, the neighbor ran over to us and said he had already called 9-1-1. The neighbor was outside smoking a cigarette and saw flames and smoke coming from the house and was on his way to alert us.” The family’s two dogs did not survive.
Fire departments from Guyton, Effingham County and Springfield responded but the fire had already destroyed the home by the time they arrived.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined by fire officials. The Red Cross team met the family’s immediate needs by providing a hotel for two nights, funds for clothing, food for a week and four comfort kits containing personal hygiene items.
The Red Cross also will meet with the family on Tuesday to help initiate a recovery plan.