WESTVILLE — A Westville family of four lost their home to a fire before dawn Thursday, but no one was injured.
According resident Gail Tate, mother of five, the fire started before 5:30 a.m. at their residence at the intersection of County 163 and
“I woke up coughing around 5:30 this morning and smelt something like smoke,” Gail said. “I open the door to the kitchen and it was nothing but a wall of flames. I managed to get my son, Samuel, out and called the fire department but it couldn’t be saved.”
Arriving at the scene to help battle the blaze were volunteer fire departments from Pittman, Pine Log and
Gail Tate lived with her husband, Steve and two sons, Samuel, 18, and Isaac, 12.
She said of all the possessions she lost, the one she would miss the most was a portrait of her son who died 14 years ago at the age of 12 to complications of cerebral palsy.
“That’s what hurts most,” she said. “I know God has us handled because He is an almighty God. There’s valleys and hills and God will provide.”
She said believes this was the third of a series of arson attempts on her home in the last several weeks. In the first, a lit bottle of accelerant that was thrown under the house, but was contained with damage only to one window and the second was a lit bottle of accelerant thrown through the kitchen window, burning a portion of the kitchen.
The incident is currently under investigation by the State Fire Marshal and no information regarding the incident has been released as the investigation is ongoing.
American Red Cross was present to provide the family with a stay at a local hotel for several nights as well as a debit card in the amount of $650 to help with immediate needs.