Firefighters Help Great-Grandmother Recover After Blaze

A fire has destroyed the Coweta County home of an elderly woman and her seven great-grandchildren. Firefighters are working with them to obtain donations of clothes, food and Christmas presents.

WSB-TV Fire Devastates Grandmother, Family Eighty-eight-year old Rosa Lee Ransby's house caught fire shortly after noon Tuesday. She escaped with her 4-year-old great-granddaughter, but the blaze destroyed her house of 40-years and everything inside.

"We were asleep and woke up and the house was on fire," Ransby told Channel 2's Richard Elliot. "I saw smoke, and I went into the bedroom, saw the fire coming up and the smoke coming out. So I said come on, the house is on fire."

Fire investigators know it started in a back bedroom but they still aren't sure why. After dousing the blaze, Coweta County firefighters decided to do what they could for Ransby's family.

"I've been in this business a long time, seen a lot of things, but something about Ms. Ransby just touched my heart," said Coweta County fire Deputy Chief Todd Moore. "She was worried about getting her great-grandkids shoes to wear, clothes to wear more so than herself."

Fire Devastates Great-Grandmother, Family

Moore and other firefighters began soliciting for donations first from other county employees and then from anyone they could find.

Richard Elliot, WSB-TV Coweta firefighters Coweta County firefighters deliver Christmas presents for Ms. Ransby's family. "First thing this morning, we received 50 to 60 phone calls and e-mails from citizens of Coweta County and Newnan wanting to help provide the basic necessities for this family," Moore said.

Ransby told Elliot she doesn't have enough insurance to rebuild, so firefighters are looking for help to do that too.

"They're doing good for me. I'm so happy. I didn't think anybody would help me, but they did," Ransby said.

You can donate by calling the Coweta County Fire Department at 770-254-3900 or e-mailing Moore at tmoore@coweta.ga.us.