By: Heather Graf
MADISON, Tenn. - There's no good timing for a house fire, but to lose
everything you own just days before the New Year seems almost cruel. It
happened Sunday morning to an elderly woman in Madison.
Firefighters say the blaze broke out at about 8:00 a.m. at a home on Myatt
Drive. When they pulled out of the fire station, they could see the smoke from
several blocks away.
"When we arrived on the scene, flames were already shooting 20 feet in
the air," said District Chief Don Alford with the Nashville Fire
Department. "It had already broken through the roof on the back side
of the house."
Since it's a duplex home, there was not just one family in danger, but two.
Firefighters say the elderly woman who lived on the side of the duplex where
the fire originated actually ran from her home to alert the family living on
the other side of the duplex.
"She had her pajamas on and was barefooted," said that
neighbor. "And she said my house is on fire, and we grabbed a few
things from our side and got out."
The 87-year-old woman, whose name has not yet been released, was transported
to the hospital to be checked out for smoke inhalation and some minor
burns. She is expected to be okay.
"Family is taking good care of her at this time," said Alford.
Her neighbors will likely do the same, when it comes time to rebuild.
They say they are grateful for her quick action, and believe it's the reason no
lives were lost.
The other side of the duplex had some smoke damage but was not destroyed.
Firefighters say the woman had several pets that did not survive.
Email: hgraf@newschannel5.com
