‘We have each other, my son got out alive’: House fire displaces six, destroys family home

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - A house fire early Saturday morning destroyed one home, damaged two others and displaced six people in Chatham County.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. on Leeward Drive, where Clyde and Brenda Campbell lived with their son, Xavier. Clyde Campbell said a neighbor alerted them to the blaze by banging on the door and ringing the doorbell.

“A neighbor was banging on the door and ringing the doorbell and yelling, ‘get out, your house is on fire’,” Clyde said.

The family escaped safely as flames spread through the home. Xavier, who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, depends on his parents for daily care.

Campbell said he tried to contain the fire with a hose before firefighters arrived but was unsuccessful.

“I got the hose to try to, you know, kind of calm it down somewhat. But it seemed like putting the water on it made it worse,” he said.

Firefighters with Chatham County Fire extinguished the fire by 3:21 a.m., authorities said. The Campbells’ home was destroyed, and neighboring houses on both sides sustained damage.

No one was hurt.

“You can get things back, you know. But had we not lived, then nothing else would have mattered,” Clyde said.

Clyde, a minister, said he hosted substance abuse and anger management classes in the home. His wife, Brenda Campbell, is a special education teacher.

The fire also destroyed equipment used for Campbell’s barbecue sauce business, resulting in an estimated $25,000 loss, he said.

“In order to keep the business going, I’m going to have to get (that money) back,” he said.

After years of serving others, the family is now relying on support from relatives and the community as they begin to rebuild.

“We trust God, you know, even though we are emotionally wrecked...we can see God’s glory,” Clyde said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The family has started a GoFundMe to help them rebuild.