Fire destory’s Woodbine home last Thursday, GoFundMe started for family

A fire destroyed a Woodbine family’s home last week in what investigators believe may have been arson, and an online fundraiser has since been launched in an attempt to provide the family with some relief.

The fire broke out sometime last Thursday morning, according to Woodbine Fire and Rescue Chief Rickie Fore, who said that the station was called out to a home on Terrell Cemetery Road at approximately 10 a.m. When fire crews got on the scene, the structure was partially involved, with the fire at the center of the house and coming out one wing of the home.

Fire crews were on scene fighting the blaze until approximately 1:15 p.m.

Fore said that no injuries were reported and no one was home at the time the fire occurred. 

Arson is believed to be a cause of the fire. An investigation is currently still ongoing by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.

Oak Grove Fire Department also assisted at the scene.

Following the fire, a GoFundMe was set up on behalf of the family. According to the GoFundMe page, the home belonged to Lee and Nova DeGarmo, which had been their residence for 26 years. The page also claimed that the land the home sat on has belonged to the same family line for over 100 years.

The pair lived in the home with their three children.

“Every heartfelt donation, whatever the size will be a blessing and a relief of the financial burden of this.”

“Lee and his wife, Nova, is the sole beneficiary of these funds, and everything donated will go straight to their family,” the GoFundMe page stated.

As of Tuesday, $1,670 of the fundraiser’s $200,000 goal had been donated.

Anyone wishing to donate can find the page by visiting www.gofundme.com and typing “DeGarmo” into the search bar at the top. The fundraiser for the family is named “DeGarmo Home of 26 Years Caught on Fire” or by clicking here.