CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – An Army veteran and his family lost everything but the clothes on their backs during the Fourth of July weekend when their east Montgomery County home went up in flames.
On Sunday at around noon, the house on Judge Tyler Drive in the Hickory Wilds subdivision caught fire. Cordero Wade escaped with his wife, 5-month-old infant, 11-year-old son, 12-year-old daughter, and their 13-year-old dog.
The Wade family had only minor burns and injuries, according to Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Director Ed Baggett.
Baggett said the fire started in the garage. The Wade family had a four-wheeler idling inside, and two puddles of oil or gasoline formed underneath the vehicle and caught ablaze. Baggett said that when Cordero Wade went outside and noticed the rapidly spreading fire, he immediately got his family out and then tried to fight the fire with a garden hose.
Baggett said a neighbor had also noticed the flaming puddles and ran over with a fire extinguisher to help. But by that point, the fire was out of their control.
Volunteer Fire Departments from St. Bethlehem, East Montgomery and Cunningham responded, along with EMA, EMS, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
In addition to their home, one of the vehicles was destroyed, the four-wheeler, and all of their clothes and belongings. A GoFundMe organized by Judith Wine was created to help the Wade family. While monetary donations are welcome, so are diapers, formula and basic necessities.
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