Fireworks can be beautiful to look at and is something often used during big celebrations like New Year’s Eve or 4th of July. But they can also be dangerous leading to devastating consequences.
A Gallatin family believe kids playing with fireworks set their house on fire causing them to loose everything.
Robert H Alexander Jr. has lived almost all his life in his Gallatin home on Santa Monica BLVD. The 83-year-old bought the house when he got married to his wife. At that time, he was 21 years old, according to NewsChannel5.
Now his family’s house is completely destroyed – it burnt down.
“It’s a disaster. I’ve cried many times, but that ain’t going to bring nothing back that I had”, Alexander says to WKRN.
Thought about his family inside the house
Alexander, who actually still works, was at his job, when he received the devastating news of the fire Thursday night. His first thought was his eight family members inside, including 18-year-old Devarius Alexander.
Devarius explains he felt the smell of smoke and then he realized kids from the neighbourhood must have had sparked the flames.
“I got a whiff of the smoke. They were having firework wars. Everyone was playing and shooting at each other”, Devarius said.
He continues explaining that he doesn’t think the kids tried to burn down the house on purpose, he believes it was a game that got out of hand.
Devarius still can’t believe his eyes. The only home he has ever known is gone. His father has lived more than 40 years of his adult life in this Gallatin home.
“This is my childhood home, we lost everything he worked for I’m sad for him. Sad there was nothing I can do to help put this out, you know help saved his home”, he says according to NewsChannel5.
Jumped into action
When the fire started Devarius immediately jumped into action to help his family. Fortunately, he had taken an elective fire safety class in high school and remembered what he had learned.
“I put my siblings in the car. I couldn’t pull out of the front because my cousin’s car was there, so I had to just drive over the fence.”
Luckily the whole family was safe, but they could only watch as their home turned into ashes, with all memories being destroyed by the flames.
“The biggest problem is there’s not fire hydrants in this community. “They had fire trucks from different communities going back and forth and getting water”, says Alexander to WKRN.
Trying to move on
Alexander is devastated and thinks of all the memories that have been lost. He recalls all the work and effort building up the house, all by himself he turned the house from a 3 bedroom home and built it into a 6 bedroom home.
Now everything is gone. What hurts him the most is losing precious family pictures that they will never be able to get back.
The family is going through rubble hoping to find something from their past. At the same time they are trying to move on. Alexander says he is focusing in the family he has with him today, rather than on what he has lost.
“I’m blessed. I’m really blessed and thank the Lord for that.”
This is so heartbreaking; we are really sorry for the family’s loss and hope they will get all the help they need to get a new home. Please share this story on Facebook to support the family in this difficult moment.
