Fire Destroys Home, But Not Family's Christmas Spirit

Grandmother returns from holiday shopping to find charred home

A Wise County family that returned from Christmas shopping to find its home destroyed by fire vowed not to let it ruin the holiday spirit.

A wind-fueled wildfire charred more than a dozen acres near Boyd, including the one-story home of 84-year-old Cagrie Stone.

Everything was charred -- from the kitchen stove to the Christmas presents they had already bought.

"We don't have anything," Stone said. "We never dreamed this would happen."

Especially not three days before Christmas.

At first, Stone said the blaze destroyed the family's holiday.

"We just won't have one," she said. "I don't see how."

But as family members poked through the rubble, they soon realized not all was lost. Most importantly, they said, nobody was hurt.

"We didn't even get a scratch, so we're happy," Stone said.

The family has insurance to pay for a new home, she added. The American Red Cross is helping them with immediate needs.

And all those burned Christmas presents?

"Those can always be gotten again," grandson Codi Davis said.

Contact Us