This Christmas will be marked with misfortune for a pair of Caledonia families, who lost their homes in fires over the past week.
A fire ripped through the home of Steve and Christi Carter on Thursday night just after 6 p.m. The home, located on Duncan Road, sat approximately 100 yards from the roadway, making it difficult for the volunteer fireman to extinguish the blaze.
The Carter’s have two children. Stevi is a senior at Caledonia High School. Cole is a freshman at Mississippi State, where he is a member of the Bulldogs’ football team.
Christi Carter teaches at Caledonia High School.
On Dec. 15, the home of Jeff and Samantha Brooks, located off of Highway 540 near the state line, was also destroyed by fire.
The Brooks were not home when the fire started. The Brooks lost their home, along with their possessions, including the Christmas presents for their 10-year-old twins.
Donation drives for both families have popped up all over Caledonia.
April Forrestor knows both the Carters and the Brooks and collected gift cards for the families on Saturday.
Samantha Brooks coaches volleyball at Caledonia High School.
Forrestor, who teaches at Caledonia High, said she decided to help the family because she knows that if she was in time of need, both families wouldn’t hesitate to help her.
“They are such a sweet family and here it is Christmas-time,” she said. “I decided to collect gift cards so they could just go and buy what they need.”
Forrestor said the community of Caledonia is rallying around the Brooks and the Carters.
“We’re a tight-knit community,” she said. “When someone is in trouble and needs help, we like to help each other out.”
In addition to Forrestor, Loox Salon in Caledonia is accepting gift cards for the families.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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