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PAGE 2A
November 5, 2008
^Reporter
Fine Art Supplies
Great Selections!
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The
Small
woods
hope to
salvage
antique
furniture
severely
damaged
by the fire
that de
stroyed
their
home on
Montpe
lier Road.
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1C M. lacfi^Mi Si. • JvKMith, Cjeemia
478-992-954C
Have a StufFiN'PaRty 1 * in Forsyth
Make a Stuffed AviMal...
* Create a MeMcky
•Birthday Parties
•Carnivals <& State Fairs
• Fundraisers
StnfifinrPaitljj
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bij Fiesta
BY GINA HERRING
When Amanda Smallwood heard
a house fire call come across the
police scanner in her mother’s
home around 7 p.m. last Thursday
evening, she had no idea it was her
own home that was on fire.
“I heard the address as 11-some-
thing Montpelier,” said Amanda. “I
kept trying to think where that
was and figured it must be at least
a mile from me.”
However, moments later, Amanda
received a call from a friend telling
her that it was her house. Her
heart dropped.
“I jumped in my car and
drove over there. I was hop
ing it was not true,” said
Amanda.
But it was true. Amanda
watched helplessly as fire
fighters put out the blaze.
But, it had already done
extensive damage.
Amanda grew up with
firefighters. Her dad is
Warren Doles, former
Monroe County fire chief.
She had heard these kinds
of calls her whole life. She
knew exactly what hap
pened from the firefighter’s
perspective when these
calls came in.
“But, I had no idea what
to do being the one whose
house was on fire,” said
Amanda. “I asked [Forsyth
fire chief] Walter Carter
‘what do I do now?’ He told
me to call my insurance
agent.”
Amanda called Allstate
agent Jane Pennington and
told her about the fire.
Amanda said within min
utes Jane was at the house.
“Jane Pennington sat
there with me, in the cold,
for three hours until they
secured my house,” said
Amanda. “She gives a whole
new meaning to ‘you’re in
good hands with Allstate’.”
Thankfully, no one was
home when the fire broke
out. Amanda, her husband
Tommy and their son Jon
were in the process of mov
ing to a new home.
However, in the house there
were still many of their
possessions, including win
ter clothes, toys, appliances
and two very precious
antique pieces of furniture
handed down from family.
That was the worst part,
said Tommy, seeing the
charred antiques.
“It was like a thief in the
night,” said Amanda. “I
can’t begin to tell you how
violated it makes you feel.”
The house was the former
library in Forsyth. It was
moved to its current loca
tion in 1994. Amanda and
Tommy worked for 14 years
remodeling and adding on
to the house. They had just
completed painting and fix
ing up the home and had
planned to rent it out soon.
Amanda said the fire
department told her the fire
was electrical and had
started in the kitchen. The
entire kitchen was
destroyed. The flames also
gutted the attic, burned
through the roof and melt
ed vinyl siding and window
frames.
Amanda says it is hard to
say how much they lost in
the fire. What wasn’t dam
aged by the smoke and fire
was soaked with the water
used to put out the flames.
“I cannot even think of
how it can be rebuilt,” said
Tommy. “Every single part
of it is damaged.”
Tommy said he had been
to the house only an hour
or so prior to the fire to
check to make sure everything was
OK. Since the family is already liv
ing at their new home, Tommy said
he likes to check on the house and
the property on a regular basis.
“I didn’t go inside. I just drove up
and looked around,” said Tommy.
“Everything looked fine. I had no
idea the next time I saw it, it
would be burned up.”
But Amanda and Tommy say that
even though the home was
destroyed, they still count their
many blessings.
“Everyone is OK,” said Tommy.
“”My dad had been staying here a
few nights a week. I’m glad he was
not here when it happened. It will
be hard, but we can replace things.
We know we are blessed.”
Amanda and Tommy said the
firefighters who responded did a
great job.
“I just cannot thank them enough
for everything they did,” said
Amanda. “It was a horrible experi
ence, but the firemen did such a
professional job. We want to thank
them so much.”
The fire started in the kitchen
but engulfed the attic, destroy
ing the roof and melting the
vinyl siding on the house.
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s
rame
Specializing in quality custom framing and art supplies
Josh & April Ellerbee
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Paintings by
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RECEPTION,
Nov. 6, 6-8pm at Forsyth
Frame Shop
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To preview
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478-994-5144
“Your friendly neighborhood frame shop”
267 Tift College Drive • Forsyth, GA
Fire guts Montpelier home