CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Early in the morning on July 15, residents on Shirley Drive were asked to evacuate their homes as a woman had a showdown with police and set a house on fire. The houses on either side of the first house also caught fire. When it was all over, two of the three houses were destroyed and a third one was damaged.
Pamela Holz, executive director of the local American Red Cross, said they have been working with all three families to provide assistance and connect them with resources.
“When there’s a fire that makes the homes inhabitable, because of the generosity of people donating to the Red Cross, we’re able to provide financial assistance to those families,” Holz said. “When people donate to the Red Cross, they’re not donating to the Red Cross – they’re donating to their neighbors that have had a catastrophe happen in their life.”
The Red Cross is able to provide a place to stay, clothes, food and more.
No one can anticipate a house fire, so Holz encourages families to create an escape plan. In one of the homes damaged by this fire, Holz said the children had practiced their fire escape plan to get everyone out safely.
“You have about two minutes to get out if your house catches fire before you become compromised for one reason or another,” Holz said. “You have to have two escape routes and you have an essential meeting place.” An example she gave was to meet at the mailbox.
In the month of June, the local Red Cross responded to five fires involving 14 families. Over the last year, there have been 141 such disasters.
To learn more about the Red Cross, or how to become a volunteer, visit the Red Cross website or call 931-645-6401.