A Jackson family of six plus their pets faced a catastrophe when a candlelit evening turned into a raging fire that consumed their home and vehicles on May 21. Amy Crowder, the mother, recounted to FOX 5 Atlanta the harrowing night when her daughter fell asleep with a candle that set their lives ablaze. "My daughter had fallen asleep with a candle. She was reading by candlelight, and she woke up around 2:15 a.m. and her bed was in flames, the wall, and her book bag," Crowder said.
The fire swiftly engulfed the Crowder residence, destroying everything in its wake including all three family vehicles. Despite the overwhelming odds, the family and their pets were able to escape, a close call particularly for the 15-year-old who barely made it out. According to a FOX 5 Atlanta interview, "By time we got everybody on the back porch, […] flames were shooting through the roof of the house," Crowder explained. "It was within minutes. If we hadn't of gotten the children out when we did, my teenager, 15-year-old, she barely got out of the house."
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the community has rallied around the Crowder family, offering donations and support. The family's immediate needs are being met through the generosity of Amy's employer, who provided a car and temporary housing. "All the physical things, they really don't matter. We're just proud to have our lives because it was very close, but it doesn't make it look any easier looking at every single thing you own burned in ashes," Amy Crowder told FOX 5 Atlanta.
A GoFundMe page and an Amazon gift list have been established to support the family's journey to recovery. "We are going to need everything…towels, pots and pans," the Crowders shared in a statement to the Jackson Progress-Argus. While the situation remains daunting, the family finds solace in the outpouring of community support and the fact that their lives were spared. Fire Chief Wesley Johnston honored the daughters with bravery awards, a gesture that underscores the community's investment in their resurgence. "We keep saying we lost it all, but we didn't. We have our lives and our babies' lives… things could've been so different," Crowder reflected on the ordeal.
