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“Hurricane Truck”
By Debbie Williams Reporter
Published: Wed, January 30, 2008 - 4:43 pm
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 8:18 pm
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 8:18 pm
Debbie Williams
From the time firefighters got the call till the fire was out was less than 20 minutes but there was little anyone could do to save the baby.
"She just turned two yesterday." Wendy Doane is devastated. "She was talking and playing like to run up and give everybody hugs."
24 hours ago she was celebrating her granddaughters second birthday, "She was the life of the party, everywhere she went everybody loved her."
Now, there is just incredible grief.
"The first units arrived and basically you could see right through the trailer in a short of period of time, it was totally gone," says Magnolia Springs Fire Chief Joby Smith. Investigators believe the fire started near the front of the mobile home where the baby was sleeping. Doane says her son, Chad Horton and his girlfriend, Jessica Pickard, barely got out alive. "Chad got Jessica out the window and they tried to get the baby but the flames was coming this way, it was already burned up."
When firefighters arrived they say the front of the trailer was a wall of flames. But according to Chief Smith it wasn't only the the fire they had to fight, they had to fight the wind. "The way the wind was moving and mobile home such as that and the age of it was moving it don't take it don't take long at all for it to move through the entire structure."
A sad day for a family already familiar with loss according to Doane, "Chad was recently in an accident a bad accident and he lost his brother in July last July."
There is no word yet on what may have started the fire.
An account has been set up to help the family with funeral and medical expenses at Bryant Bank. It is called the "Baby Nikki Horton Family Fund". Branches in Foley and Daphne are accepting donations or you can mail them to Bryant Bank, P.O. Box 640, Foley, AL 36536.
Or you can make donations at the Magnolia Springs BP Station on highway 98.
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This is absolutely sad and devastating. My whole heart goes out to this family. May the loving care of God be with you all. I also wanted to add that collections for the family are also being accepted at Yates Consruction (where the father Chad is emloyed).