Retired Woman Turns To GoFundMe To Help Rebuild After Fire Destroys Her Fairfax Home

FAIRFAX, VA — It was early in the evening on Dec. 23, and Joyce Thompson had just returned after running some Christmas errands to her townhouse north of Fairfax City.

"I was lining my things up to do for the night, as far as wrapping presents and getting myself organized," she said.

Thompson was standing in her doorway, talking on the phone, when she heard a series of loud cracks coming from the back of her house.

"I heard the noise and I'm like, 'Why is somebody playing with firecrackers? It's not New Year's, and it's not the Fourth of July,'" she said. "Fortunately, the neighbor ran up and they said, 'Get out. You've gotta leave. Bill's house is on fire.'"

The crackling sounds came from a burning propane tank connected to an unattended grill in the back yard of one of Thompson's neighbors. The fire quickly spread from the patio area to the neighbor's shed, stockade fence and adjacent townhouses, including Thompson's.

"I started to walk out, but my purse was right beside me," she said. "So, I grabbed it. Thank God."

Related: 5 Displaced By Townhouse Fire North Of Fairfax City

Crews from the Fairfax City and Fairfax County fire departments arrived on the scene quickly and were able to extinguish the blaze, but five people — including Thompson — were displaced.

Nearly two months later, Thompson is living with a friend in Maryland and trying to put her life back together. The fire destroyed nearly all of her belongings.

"The first thing I realized was my grandmother gave me a Bible," she said. "My mom had given me about three, and they're gone."

Although Thompson said in a phone interview Thursday she might be able to save some antique furniture, the entire house needed to be gutted.

Following a stroke six years ago, Thompson was unable to return to work. She recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money to rebuild her home. As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, she had raised just $420 toward her $100,000 goal.

"When you're not working, if you're on a fixed budget, this is gonna be difficult," she said. "Even though the insurance is going to help pay for everything, there's depreciation, there's deductibles, that kind of stuff. Everything is close to the limits on my policy."