ARTESIA — There are no injuries after an Artesia home was severely damaged by a house fire Tuesday morning.
The fire ravaged the home of Javoris Snell at 95 Roberts St. It began shortly after 8 a.m.
Snell told The Dispatch he had stepped out of his home Tuesday morning for a walk. He returned to see smoke billowing from his home and windows beginning to shatter from the heat. He ran to his aunt’s home next door and called for help.
The first to arrive on the scene was Lowndes County volunteer fireman Tim Shields and his co-worker, Tommy Frank. Frank and Shields work for the Lowndes County Road Department and were doing a project near by. The two battled the flames with buckets full of water and a garden hose. The blaze was under control by the time the first Lowndes County fire engine arrived.
Firefighters were able to save the structure, but much of the home’s interior was destroyed.
Snell, 30, said he has lived in the home his entire life. He had been living there alone. He was comforted by family, neighbors and friends, but still shocked.
“I feel messed up,” he said. “I’ve been in here 30 years. Just so many memories. All my life, just all gone.”
Firefighters on the scene were not sure what caused the fire.
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