HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Hendersonville family is starting over after flames tore through their apartment overnight, displacing several families.
Mercedes Wicks said the fire started around 2 a.m. Six children were asleep inside the apartment, including two of Wicks' three children and four of their friends.
"He woke up about two o’clock to the fire alarms going off," Wicks said. "He looked out the window and he’s seen the trees reflecting off an orange light, so he automatically knew the apartment was on fire."
The family had no time to grab shoes or belongings, focusing only on getting out alive.
"By the time we got out, the whole top half of the apartment was already engulfed in flames," Wicks said. "We had kids with no shoes, no shirts… it was pretty chaotic. We were just worried about the bodies, not anything else."
Fire crews spent hours battling the flames.
"It took them from 2 a.m. to like 4:30… just to get the fire out," Wicks said.
By morning, almost everything the family owned was gone. The Red Cross is assisting, but the rebuilding process will take time.
"But it’s absolutely starting over… everything’s gone," Wicks said. "Honestly, we’re taking it day by day," Wicks said.
Even on Easter, the family tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for the children.
"I thought it was very important to try to keep the kids’ minds off of it," Wicks said."Bills still keep coming and we’re still going to go to work every day."
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