The Hargrove family's home in Maryville, Tennessee, was destroyed by fire. Wes Hargrove told WVLT he had been mowing the lawn when the fire began and tried to stop it with a garden hose.
The hose could not contain the fire, which spread through the home, according to WVLT. Everyone in the family got out safely, but their dog died in the fire, the report said.
The Family's Next Steps
The family has been staying in a friend's finished basement while working with its insurance company and looking for a new place to live, WVLT reported. The sudden loss has left them dealing with both temporary housing and the practical work of starting over.
Amid the rubble, Hargrove said he found something that gave the family a measure of comfort: Bibles recovered intact in every room of the house, untouched despite the fire that consumed nearly everything else around them, as reported by WVLT. For a family now navigating insurance paperwork and house-hunting from a borrowed basement, the detail has become a small but meaningful anchor as they move forward.
Community Support Through GoFundMe
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Hargroves recover financially, according to WVLT. WBIR has also reported on community support for the family.
Tennessee Fire Data
Statewide context comes from the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office: its preliminary 2025 figures list 7,614 reported structure fires, down from 8,995 in 2024, and the office says the 2025 count may increase as more reports are submitted. These are structure-fire figures, not a residential-only count. The same preliminary data record 32 fire deaths statewide in 2025, down from 93 the previous year.
For now, the Hargroves are focused on finding a permanent place to live and working through the insurance process. The loss of their home and dog has reshaped daily life for the family as they work toward what comes next.
