Blazing Fire Burns Maudie Atkinson's House Down to Ashes
By: Braxton Bragg Underwood December 20, 1934
Early this morning, just a little after one, Miss Maudie Atkinson’s house caught on fire. She claims it probably caught on from the flue in her kitchen, as she kept a fire there for her potted plants. Everybody in the neighborhood gathered around and watched the house go down in flames.
However, putting out the fire took some time. The town’s old fire truck was stopped by the cold, since it was the morning after our first snow since 1885. Several men pushed the truck to its destination, finally attaching the hose to a hydrant and letting the water spew over the house. It was after this that the neighborhood’s men started to retrieve as much as they could from inside the burning house. |
One of the many people to help was Maudie's neighbor, Mr. Richard Avery. Despite his old age, the man saved just as much as all the others. “I was cryin’ out to Dick tellin’ him it wasn’t safe to be in there. At one point, I even thought he was stuck in the window and would just tremble down with the whole house! He ended up fallin’ in the shrubbery but got himself back up on his feet again in no time,” says a witness of the fire. Jean Louise Finch, another witness, described the fire as looking like a “giant pumpkin.” "Man I was so nervous for Mr. Avery. Thought he'd never get out," Jean Louise says.
The fire had made its way to the roof, burning anything in its way. Soon after that, the house completely collapsed. Fire spread everywhere, including the neighbors’ houses where water had to be sprayed as well.
After the entire disaster, Miss Maudie was questioned about her loss. Surprisingly, she said, “Well, I really don’t mind havin’ that whole house bein’ burnt down. Now livin’ in a smaller place will give me more yard for my precious azaleas.” Miss Maudie is getting a new house built to her own liking. In the meantime, she will be living will Miss Stephanie Crawford.
The fire had made its way to the roof, burning anything in its way. Soon after that, the house completely collapsed. Fire spread everywhere, including the neighbors’ houses where water had to be sprayed as well.
After the entire disaster, Miss Maudie was questioned about her loss. Surprisingly, she said, “Well, I really don’t mind havin’ that whole house bein’ burnt down. Now livin’ in a smaller place will give me more yard for my precious azaleas.” Miss Maudie is getting a new house built to her own liking. In the meantime, she will be living will Miss Stephanie Crawford.
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