Beaufort Co. woman loses everything in New Year’s Eve fire; asks for community’s help

BURTON, S.C. (WTOC) - A Beaufort County woman needs the community’s help after a fire destroyed her childhood home on New Year’s Eve.

READ HERE: 2026 begins with two fires in one night in Beaufort County

Ruthie Gadson was cooking dinner in her home on Glaze Drive in Burton and preparing to go to church to ring in the New Year when her granddaughter rushed to tell her that the house was on fire.

“She said, ‘Nana, Nana, come out of the house. The house is on fire,” Gadson said.

Gadson tried to put out the flames, but they were too much, and she had to leave.

“I was trying to go, but my foot got caught on something, and I went flat on my knees,” Gadson said. “I dropped, and I couldn’t get up, so I started crawling to get out of the house.”

She believes an electrical issue sparked it; officials say the cause is still under investigation.

Once out of the house, Gadson was looking for her grandchildren, but an ambulance took her to the hospital for smoke inhalation treatment instead.

She was released on Thursday morning and went to the house to see what could be saved.

“All my legacy, pictures of my parents and my family, everything I have is gone. I have nothing.”

The only things she was able to save were a basket of clothes and several pairs of shoes.

Everything else inside the place she called home for over 50 years is gone after several crews extinguished the flames late Wednesday night.

“This is beyond repair. This is far beyond repair.”

Multiple groups are already in the early stages of helping Gadson, including United Way of the Lowcountry and the American Red Cross.

The family has also set up a GoFundMe to help her.