Family Left Homeless By Fire Needs Your Help

PAULDING COUNTY, GA — A house fire last week left a local family of seven homeless, but thankful that no one was hurt in the blaze, according to a media report. The Hodges family lost all of their possessions, including school supplies for the kids, when their home burned down in less than 15 minutes, WSB-TV Channel 2 reported.

Karissa Hodges, the mother, told the TV station that she and three of her children were home at about 3 p.m. Thursday when they started smelling smoke. Hodges said she also saw smoke coming from the garage. (SIGN UP: For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. Or if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

She and her children barely escaped when the smoke turned to flames, she said. Firefighters told them that they're not certain about the cause of the fire.

At this time, the family is staying with relatives in the area, Channel 2 reported. But the road ahead looks difficult for Karissa, her husband Michael and their five children.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family, which needs to replace personal effects and buy clothes, computers and household goods. As of Monday, the webpage had raised nearly $4,200 toward a goal of $25,000. If you wish to help out, please click here.

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