Blountsville family needs help after fire destroys home

Last updated: 2024/12/17 at 11:29 AM

BLOUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WBRC) – A family in Blount County is facing devastation after losing their home to a fire over the weekend.

Blountsville Fire and Rescue says a space heater is to blame.

Johnny Powell and Linda Chitwood, who live at the residence, say they’re devastated now that their life is upended.

Powell moved to the home in 1991, so he’s lived there for 33 years.

“We’ve raised our boys here and had our grandkids here and all kinds of Christmas and birthdays,” said Chitwood. “You name it, we’ve had it.”

While Powell slept in his bed Saturday night, Chitwood came home and knew something was wrong.

“It was about 9 o’clock when I come in and I was smelling an odor in the house like something was burning,” she shared. “As I was walking down the hallway to my bedroom, the odor got stronger. As soon as I opened the door, the room was covered in smoke and my bed was on fire.”

Chitwood immediately started yelling for Powell and her son to get out quickly.

“Panic sunk, hit me and when panic hits, you don’t think clearly,” she explained. “When we left that night, he didn’t even have shoes on his feet. My son didn’t have shoes so they walked out of the yard in socks and sweatpants and a shirt.”

They escaped with only the clothing on their back.

Out of the four cats the family cares for, they’ve only spotted three. Chitwood believes one of them didn’t make it.

Powell says the aftermath is devastating. “Almost everything I’ve got is gone. I did manage to save a few pictures and a plaque that I had from my mom when she died. Everything else — that’s gone.”

Chitwood teared up talking about the family heirlooms and items she lost in the fire. “I’ve lost so much of my dad’s, mom’s, brother’s stuff that can’t be replaced.”

Heading into the holiday season, now they’re cleaning up what they can, though they’re unsure of where to go from here.

“Just be thankful for what you got, no matter how big or small it is,” said Chitwood. “When it’s gone, you can’t get it back.”

Unfortunately, the homeowners did not have insurance.

Though American Red Cross provided a few gift cards for the family, they’re in need of pretty much everything else.

If you’re feeling led, their son started a GoFundMe to raise money. There is also a donation account at Peoples Bank of Alabama under the name Jonathan Chitwood for Johnny Powell and Linda Chitwood.

If you have physical donations for the family, you can bring them to the impacted home at 77 Bailey Street in Blountsville, or their other son’s home at 44 Paisley Drive in Blountsville.

The sizes needed are listed below: