MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Montgomery County community is coming together to support a family who lost everything in a house fire on Saturday.
The Wade family of five told News 2 that the blaze took about 30 minutes to burn through everything they owned.
However, the family explained that they would not know where to start without the community’s support.
PREVIOUS: Montgomery County home ruled ‘total loss’ following fire “We just kind of go with the flow with things,” Cordero Wade explained when asked how he would describe his family.
The Wade family moved to Montgomery County two years ago when Cordero retired from the military. Cordero, his wife and their three kids built memories in the home and established roots, but within a matter of minutes, everything went up in smoke.
“The fire started in the garage, so first thing once I got out there and saw the fire, I ran and got my family out,” Cordero said. “I ushered them out the back door and kind of tossed them over the gate.”
Cordero was able to get his wife, 11-year-old, and five-month-old sons out of the house, as well as the family dog. His 12-year-old daughter was not home at the time.
Truck fire on I-840 believed to be suspicious Cordero told News 2 that after getting his family out, he tried to run back in to extinguish the fire. He suffered burns to his arm.
He said birth certificates, phones, favorite toys, and photos are now ashes.
“We are hard workers,” Cordero explained. “We work for everything we have. So to watch it just [..] watching everything you love go up in flames, it was just tough to watch.”
However, the Hickory Wild community was by Cordero’s side, carrying the water hose and bringing fresh clothes.
“It was just amazing,” Cordero said. “They were right there the whole time. They stood there with us, and they even put my family in one of their houses just so they could get some AC and just, you know, because everybody was, you know, naturally upset, but yeah, it was instant and has been nonstop and unwavering.”
Crews extinguish fire at Carrie Underwood’s home Those same Hickory Wild neighbors were first to offer up their homes as shelter and their vehicles as transportation.
“Before any first responders were there, you know, people were asking because, you know, me and my son got out there with no shoes on because we didn’t have time to grab anything, and so immediately people were asking like, ‘Hey what size shoes do you wear?'” Cordero explained.
From there, a GoFundMe account was created to help the family with necessities. The account has raised over $9,000.
“I hope they realize how much that means to us and how much that has helped us get through this process,” Cordero said.
| READ MORE | Latest headlines from Clarksville and Montgomery County
The family told News 2 they would like to maintain their roots in the Hickory Wild neighborhood and repay the community’s generosity.
“I want to be able to help out the next person in the community,” Cordero expressed. “All the help that we’ve been given, it is just amazing.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Most Popular
Comments / 0