June 27, 2020 at 8:52 AM EDT - Updated June 27 at 11:15 PM
SPRINGFIELD, Ga. (WTOC) - 12 adults and five children are without a home after a massive fire broke out early Saturday morning at the Springfield Manor apartment complex.
“I opened the door and smoke just came billowing in and right then it clicked in my brain, ‘oh my goodness it’s on fire we need to get out now,” said Grace White. "We didn't notice what was going on at all. We didn't hear fire trucks. I woke up to an officer banging on my door."
Grace White, her husband, and her three-month-old son were fast asleep when the first apartment caught fire. Effingham County Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Clint Hodges says it happened around 6 a.m.
"Smoke was actually so bad, I had to have an officer help me down the stairs. I couldn't see."
Chief Hodges says the fire started in an upstairs apartment in the kitchen. Hodges says all of the top apartments, including White’s, are a total loss. The bottom floor has severe water damage. He says the fire started in an upstairs apartment in the kitchen.
All of the top apartments, including White’s, are a total loss. The bottom floor has severe water damage.
“Now we have to start over,” White said. “We have absolutely nothing.”
Not everything was lost, though. White said they were able to salvage some odds and ends, including her husband’s bible.
The American Red Cross is helping everyone involved with housing, food and other necessities that they might need. White says her community has also been an incredible help.
Photo: Getty Images