CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Cheatham County mother and her three children are safe but without a home after a fire destroyed their house on Neptune Road Sunday afternoon.
Mamie Foreman said what began as a relaxing Sunday quickly turned terrifying when a dinosaur-themed Christmas decoration caught fire, igniting nearby items, including the family’s Christmas tree.
“I don’t know if it got too hot from the wall, but it just got so hot that it set it on fire,” Foreman said.
Foreman and her 14-year-old son, Jackson, tried to put out the flames, but the fire spread too quickly. She managed to get Jackson and her 6-year-old daughter, Jo, outside — then realized her 11-year-old daughter, Evan, was still inside the home.
Despite recovering from a broken foot, Foreman rushed back in.
“I ran back in, and the smoke was to the floor,” she said. “I got on the floor, took a breath, ran up, and got her out.”
Foreman and Evan were taken to the hospital for treatment and later released. No one was seriously injured, though Foreman said both had soot in their noses from the smoke.
Crews from the Ashland City Fire Department, the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department, and other responding agencies were able to put out the fire. The official cause remains under investigation.
The blaze destroyed nearly everything the family owned just 10 days before Christmas, leaving them with only a few irreplaceable items, including a portrait of Foreman’s great-grandmother.
“I can’t believe it made it out,” she said.
Foreman said that in the moment, her focus was never on what was lost — only on her children.
“We’re just grateful to have each other and to be safe,” she said.
Since the fire, Foreman said neighbors and local churches have stepped in to provide clothing, food and a place to stay as the family begins the process of starting over.
“Everything we have has been given to us by our neighbors,” Foreman said. “Thank you to the churches, thank you to my neighbors, thank you to everybody on this road. It’s been overwhelming, and we’re so appreciative.”
The official cause of the fire is under investigation.
You can donate to the family by sending money to Mamie's Venmo @mamielew.
This story was reported on air by journalist Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Aaron and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
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