Community supports Montgomery County house fire victims
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The smell and heartache of a New Year’s Eve fire still lingers in a home in Montgomery County.
To lighten the load of the family of five, the community has stepped in to help.
“You’re just sitting there watching your whole life go up into flames, just everything we’ve worked for over the past 15 years and there’s nothing you can do. Just devastated,” said Meggie McKay, a victim of the house fire.
That’s how Meggie McKay felt on New Year’s Eve when her family’s home caught fire off Highway 404.
She was just waking up that Wednesday morning when her husband, BJ, alerted her to the flames.
“I just heard him yell, ‘Meggie get out, we got a fire!'”
Meggie said she took off running to wake two of their sons and when she opened the door, she saw smoke in the kitchen.
Earlier that morning, BJ and their youngest son were playing video games in the back room.
He said the crackles and pops made him first think his wife was cooking, but soon, he realized that was not the case.
“I was like ‘I guess Momma’s cooking breakfast.’ And (my son) ran in there to go see. And when he did, he came running back and said, ‘Daddy, there’s smoke!'”
Several local fire departments, including Duck Hill and Elliot, helped put out the flames.
“The issue was the metal roof was falling in, so we had to start pulling the metal off as they were fighting it, so they actually can get water to the source of the fire at that time,” said BJ.
A Farm Bureau adjustor inspected the house on Monday to determine the cause of the fire.
He said the fire started in the attic, but he declared the fire undetermined because of the extent of some of the damage.
The McKays said a lot was lost, but the community has stepped in to help.
“From Winona, Duck Hill, Grenada, to Greenwood, out of town even, we’ve had so many people support the GoFundMe. They have venmoed us. They’ve brought clothes, they’ve brought food,” said Meggie.
“It’s been amazing to see the community support us in this time for sure,” said BJ.
During the fire, BJ said he ran back inside four times to grab some of the family’s belongings.
The family is staying in a house owned by their church until they can get back on their feet.
You can find BJ or Meggie McKay on Facebook to contact them for ways to help.
