TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - A home in Taylorville was destroyed by a fire early Sunday morning.
"We know that when we see the devastation from a fire, that someone sees all their stuff is lost, our hurts hurt for that," said Chad Rogers, Assistant Fire Chief for Taylorville Fire Department.
It was nearly a three-hour long battle with the flames. Also, with the assistance of two surrounding fire departments.
Credit: Taylorville Fire DepartmentÂ
"The fire grew and as we found out, everything in the house was a complete and total loss. So, there was nothing left salvageable at all," said Rogers.
The family was not home at the time of the fire. However, everything was destroyed. A local program is stepping in to help.
The Angel Tree program was created almost 40 years ago by Local 3144. Originally made to benefit Taylorville residents during holidays for kids who may be less fortunate. A few years down the road, the program now sets funds aside to help families who have fallen on hard times or suffered a tragic incident.
"We always wanted to do something to help those people throughout their process. And the angel tree program was designed specifically for that during Christmas. But then the last few years, we've adapted it to fit the needs of someone who may have a fire throughout the year or something similar," said Rogers.
The Angel Tree is 100% donation funded from the Taylorville community.
"What we're going to donate is what the kids need. Cause they lost all their clothes, they lost all their toys, so we got a list from the parents on exactly what they would need and their sizes and stuff like that. We went out and filled a bunch of bags full of what they would need," said Rogers.
If you're interested in donating, you can drop off items at the Taylorville Fire Department. You can also donate to the Angel Tree.
