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A family in Elbert County arrived home after planning a funeral to see their entire house in rubble. According to FOX5, homeowner Justin Patterson doesn't mind a good home improvement project. He builds houses for a living, but nothing could have prepared him for this horrifying moment. As the family returned home from making funeral arrangements for a beloved grandmother, they saw what was a mere fragment of the home that once stood.
"As soon as we turned the corner, I hadn't even turned my head and I heard my daughter go, 'It's gone, dad, it's gone," Patterson told FOX5.
Justin's wife, Kent Patterson, shared that not all was lost as her youngest child was able to find a few toys still intact beneath the ash. The joy in the young child's face was a small silver lining in what seemed to be a series of misfortune. Most of the family's pets died in the fire, and their 16-year-old son did not take the news well amidst the death of his grandmother. Kent is pregnant and has recently been diagnosed with a condition that can cause birthing complications.
The family of five is currently living out of a truck with aspirations to one day build a new home. FOX5 mentioned that Elbert County Fire Crews have not identified the source of the fire.