BEDFORD, Ky. — It only took 15 minutes for a single mother in Trimble County to watch her belongings, family pets and hard work go up in flames.
Tabitha Tierney-Newkirk decided to leave her hometown of Louisville and move to Bedford, Ky. when the pandemic started to escalate. Her son, Zion, has a severe lung issue and she wanted to keep the family as safe as possible.
"I just fell in love with the town," Tierney-Newkirk said. "It's a wonderful town. Everyone is so nice."
Just months after the move, Tierney-Newkirk took a walk to a neighbor's home, leaving her two oldest children at home, when the phone rang.
"My daughter called and said, 'Mom, there's smoke in the house,'" she said. "I went into panic mode, and I said, 'OK, I'm on my way. I had my mud boots on and tried my hardest to run as fast as I could."
Her kids were able to get the family dogs out of the home, while Tierney-Newkirk and her neighbor did their best to try and save other pets. Of the multiple pets still in the house, they were only able to save one cat, Castille.
"i never imagined one time in my life, I'd literally end up with the clothes on my back, and everything would be gone," Tierney-Newkirk said. "A lot of animal lovers, you know your pets are like your kids. I was so proud of my kids, they were so brave to get who they could out."
Like so many children his age, Zion has one precious item he can't function without: a blanket he's kept since he was just a few weeks old.
"He's had it since he was a few weeks old," Tierney-Newkirk said.
Tierney-Newkirk picked the blanket up at a Big Lots, so she assumed when it was lost in the fire, there was no way she would be able to find it all these years later.
"I posted in 14 separate groups on Facebook," Tabitha said as she scrambled to try and find a similar blanket. "I thought I'd never be able to find it."
Then, a stranger in Evansville, Indiana happened to see one of the posts. She sent Tierney-Newkirk the blanket she bought more than a decade ago, restoring some hope for a family who has lost so much.
As clean up continues, Tierney-Newkirk has begun planning for their next home.
"They do believe it was an electrical fire, but I will have a professional come through and make sure all my wiring is where it needs to be because this is horrifying," Tierney-Newkirk said.
The family is continuing to pick the pieces up with the help of friends, family and strangers.
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