A gofundme page has been started for the Whitted family. Go to gofundme.com and search Trinity Daniel.
Crystal Whitted didn’t have much time to react when fire began to spread through their Winterville home in the early morning hours of Dec. 24.
“It happened so fast,” she said. “I only had a few seconds to think and walk in (the bedroom) and get out.”
Crystal, her husband Demetrius and their disabled daughter, Porche’ escaped with a few belongings, but their two kittens didn’t survive the electrical fire that destroyed their home.
The Beaverdam, Wolfskin and Winterville fire departments were among the departments that responded to the 911 call at 2:46 a.m.
“(We lost) everything,” Crystal said. “I couldn’t grab anything. If you look at the house, it’s a total loss.”
EMS was dispatched due to smoke exposure concerns, but no serious injuries were reported.
The family had lived in the home at 1265 Walter Sams Road for over 18 years.
Crystal said the fire started in the crawl space and spread to the master bedroom, where Demetrius was sleeping. Crystal was awake in the living room when she noticed smoke coming from underneath the door.
“I was screaming (Demetrius’) name to wake him up, so he woke up,” Crystal said. “He was frightened when he saw the flame because it was right there by his side of the bed.”
Demetrius attempted to reenter the home to rescue the kittens, but was overcome by smoke and poor visibility.
“He said the smoke had filled up so fast and the flame was coming,” Crystal said. “He had to think ‘I’ve got to go. If I don’t, I’m going to die.’”
The family managed to grab only a few essential items while fleeing, including phones, computers, purses and coats. Everything else was destroyed, including clothing, shoes, personal hygiene items and toys and clothes belonging to their 6-year-old niece.
The Whitteds are staying with daughter-in-law Destiney Hunt and her family in DeKalb County as they begin the recovery process. Trinity Daniel, the Whitteds’ daughter, created a gofundme page.
“They need everything,” Hunt said. “Anything (the community) can donate. If it’s money, they’ll greatly appreciate that. If it’s clothes or any other household appliances, they’ll appreciate that so they can get back on their feet.”