Family loses home in Generator fire

By Roberta Cantrell

BSN Editor

A Lawrence County woman credits a miracle from God that her family was spared from a fire that happened as they were preparing for the upcoming winter storm Sunday just before noon.

Amy Phillips said the incident happened while her husband was showing her how to use a generator in the garage of their home on Patrick Hill Road in Louisa.

Phillips said the generator had been used before but hadn’t been started since the last ice storm and for some reason this time they had trouble starting it. They tried putting more gas in it and when her husband tried again to turn it on, a spark came out and landed on a gas can causing an explosion.

“It was just a big, giant ball of fire,” she said. “It was on the floor, and then it crawled up the back wall.”

They tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but it spread too quickly.

“The whole ceiling caved in,” Phillips said. “Everything upstairs is gone.”

Glenna Castle, Phillips’ mother was not home when the fire started. She and her husband built the home 40 years ago. She still lives there but was not home when the fire started.

“When I came up that driveway and saw my house on fire, I wanted to fall to my knees,” she said, “This was my house my husband and I had built together and raised our family in. He passed away eight years ago, and there are a lot of memories here.”

Phillips said her husband only suffered minor burns to his hands. She says it feels like a miracle they escaped with their lives. Her eleven-year-old son Zac was asleep in his bed when the fire started.

“We were just trying to get the generator started,” she said. “That’s it, just to prepare for the storm. Obviously, there are a lot of things we could have done differently, but yes, we are very thankful we were able to make it out unscathed.”

They say fellow church members and community members have been helping replace lost items.

In a public thank you, Phillips wrote:

“Not the way we planned 2025 to start out, but we know God sees the bigger picture. Thankful everyone is okay,” said Phillips. “I’ve been flooded with messages and I’ve tried to get back to everyone but my mind is everywhere. “I’m so thankful for such a caring community and church. There’s no way we can thank you all enough. But I am going to give a big shout out to Louisa Volunteer Fire Department for their awesome work. Even though it is a total loss, we were able to salvage the important sentimental things of dads. God was able to put people from our church in our path that didn’t care to jump right in without hesitation and start packing things out. I know I’ve said it before but like I said, I can’t say it enough.. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Phillips said her son’s room was a total loss and anyone wishing to help he wears size adult small in shirts, size 6 in shoes, and 30/30 jeans or 16 in boy’s pants.

Phillips added a Biblical verse she credits for getting her family through the fire.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28