Around 7 pm last night, fire trucks lined the street of Arbor View Drive in front of the Garrett’s household. The family was taken by suprise when they heard a loud noise outside of their house.

Homeowner Logan Garrett says, “the kids were jumping on the bed and I was folding laundry. The baby was in the bath, and we heard the loudest boom we’ve ever heard. It sounded like a firecracker went off outside our house.”

The Garretts, their two small children and baby got out saftely. The items that they lost may be able to be physically replaced but the sentimental value of these items cannot be measured.
Mrs. Garrett and her husband are professors in the college of education at the University of Georgia and are now looking into other housing options while they wait out the storm.

“So right now we’re going to a hotel and we’re going to look for a rental house that can hold three little kids, and an extended family who will be in town helping us with other things,” Garrett says.

The fire is believed to have been caused by lighting struck the house and was maintained very well by the firemen that responded

Battalion Chief Roger Evans said last night, “there is some fire damage in it, but we held it to the area of origin.”

If having a house fire wasnt bad enough, Mrs. Garrett is currently under going chemotherapy for breast cancer.

She says, “We’ve already received a lot of support from the Athens community while I undergo treatment for breast cancer, and have received e-mails already about the house fire and people wanting to help us.” Garrett continues, “we’ve only lived here for two years, so we really do appreciate the Athens community coming together to help our family.”

The family knows the next few months are going to be hard, but they have a very positive and appreciative attitude.