Fire In Whistler Leaves Man And Son Homeless

A fast moving house fire left a Whistler man and his son homeless.
The blaze broke out in a home at 3824 Dial Street about 3:30 Wednesday morning.
One firefighter was slightly hurt.
Prichard fire officials say the house was a total loss and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The home is owned by Rayford Rivers.
Rivers said, "I went to bed praying, and the good Lord woke me up, I reckon."
His first thought: try to get to his son who was asleep in a back bedroom.
Rivers said, "I was sleeping, and I came out a door and the fire was right here, a big ball of fire. I couldn't get back there to my son. I ran all the way through the front."
Both escaped unhurt, but they lost everything they owned.
Rivers said, "The guy next door gave me these pants and now the guy over there gave me this shirt. And the guy from Satsuma brought me a pair of shoes. That's all I got."
The American Red Cross is finding Rivers and his son, Richard, a place to spend the night.
They wonder about the future, but Rayford Rivers knows things could be a lot worse.
Rivers said, "I was just so thankful I got my son out of there. I was just so thankful I got him out. Because, I knew I could get another house, but I couldn't get another boy. That's one of my boys."
If you'd like to help the Rivers family, call 802-0794.