HANCOCK COUNTY — Piles of clothes stuffed into plastic bags filled the back room of the family trailer, which has now become a makeshift home.
All the items have been donated to the Spurling family of six and their dog, to help them get back on their feet after a blaze that destroyed their home and everything inside early Friday morning.
The family was sleeping in the camper, about 70 feet from their home, when the blaze broke out. They were spending the night in the trailer because of another fire that had broken out in their house earlier Thursday afternoon.
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Jennifer Spurling, the mother of four Eastern Hancock schools students, said she woke up around 1:30 a.m. and saw the house fully engulfed in flames.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” she said. “I was in shock and still kind of am.”
After waking her husband, Jeramy Spurling, and making sure the four children — Hunter Spurling, 8; Alyssa Spurling, 10; Arron Redmon, 13; and Abby Redmon, 15, were all accounted for, they could do nothing but watch their home for the past 11 years go up in flames.
“My kids were all sitting here on the sofa in the trailer in their pajamas just crying their eyes out,” Jennifer Spurling said.
Now comes another difficult task. The family has to rebuild their home and replace everything it lost.
The family is getting an assist: An online campaign has been started, and a fund-raiser at basketball game is planned for this week.
While enough clothes already have been donated, they still need mattresses, a washer and dryer; and gift cards so they can purchase everyday necessities.
Eastern Hancock High School cheerleaders, where Jennifer Spurling is the cheerleader coach, will play host to a “Gift Card Night” for the family during the home basketball game against Union High School this Friday. Community residents are encouraged to bring any kind of gift card donation.
Amanda Pyle, Eastern Hancock Elementary School principal, immediately contacted the family when she heard about the fire Friday and told them district officials would help in any way they can. People who want to donate a gift card, check or cash before or after this Friday’s game can bring the funds directly to the elementary school, and officials there will make sure the family gets the money.
“This is the kind of thing they need as the family works to get back to a normal kind of life,” Pyle said.
Starcee Headlee, who works with Jennifer Spurling as a cheer squad coach for Eastern Hancock, has also started a gofundme account for the family with the hopes of raising at least $5,000.
“It’s the least I can do,” Headlee said. “Jennifer does so much for our community it’s only right we try to help them.”
Anyone wishing to donate can visit gofundme.com and search for “Spurling family.” As of late Monday afternoon, the appeal had raised almost $2,800.
For now, the Spurlings are living in the trailer until they can figure out where they’ll stay while they begin to rebuild their three-bedroom home, which could take eight to 10 months.
The family lives five miles from Debi Spurling, Jeramy Spurling’s mother, who was concerned when she heard about the first fire Thursday. She said she was thrilled the family decided — because of the mess and smell of smoke in their home from the first fire — to stay in the trailer that night.
“I just can’t bare to think of what might have happened had they been in the house when that fire broke out,” Debi Spurling said.
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Starcee Headlee, a friend of the Spurling family, has started a campaign on gofundme.com to raise money for them. Go to www.gofundme.com and search for "Spurling family."
Also, Eastern Hancock High School’s cheerleaders are sponsoring a "Gift Card Night" at this Friday’s home basketball came. Spectators can donate gift cards to help the family with expenses.
Donations also can be made at Eastern Hancock Elementary School. More information is available by emailing Principal Amanda Pyle at [email protected]
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