CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This weekend we told you about a Clarksville firefighter whose own home burned down — a terrible irony that has now led to an effort to get that firefighter and his family back on his feet.
Things look a little different outside Bryan Birkes home in Palmyra these days. His home is still smoldering after a weekend fire that reduced it to smoke and ash.
Birkes was clearing brush with a utility vehicle when he parked it in the garage and later began smelling smoke.
The Palmyra Fire Department responded — the very group that Bryan volunteers for — along with his other job at the Clarksville Fire Department.
The Clarksville Firefighters Foundation posted on social media, opening up a Venmo account to help get Bryan and his family back on his feet.
The Clarksville Fire Department says it was a plea heard loud and clear in the community.
"The Birkes family is very appreciative to everyone who has donated," said Assistant Chief Michael Rios with the Clarksville Fire Department. "All the support is overwhelming."
Forrest Sanders recently introduced us to a Nashville hero named Eudora Boxley. She was the first black woman to have a cooking show on TV in Nashville. Her grandson was precious describing Eudora and how she raised him and how proud he and the family were of her impact not only on WLAC but on a city during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. A woman who did extraordinary things at a time when history did not expect her to.
-Amy Watson
