TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. () — A devastating fire on Tybee Island on Tuesday resulted in four local women losing everything, but their community is now rallying to support them as they begin to rebuild their lives.
“I was across the street and didn’t realize until I heard the sirens, and I was like, sirens? Uh oh. They’re stopping real close. I wonder what’s going on. They were in front of my house,” recounted Mary Gilker, a neighbor living next to where the fire occurred.
Tuesday afternoon, smoke could be seen on the horizon for miles as firefighters raced to save a Tybee home.
Ultimately, Gilker noted that firefighters “realized that that was just gone so they were just trying to contain the fire to keep it from spreading to other neighbors.”
Everything was burned beyond repair, including one of the residents’ cars.
That same resident, Fidgit Bouffard, was the only one in the home at the time.
According to a GoFundMe started by her family, Bouffard was forced to jump out a second story window with her dog to escape the flames, fracturing her back in the process.
“It’s absolutely devastating because they really don’t have any resources to fall back on,” Gilker said of her former neighbors.
Though, in the last few days, the local community has shown up for them, with donations already piling up at local restaurants.
“Today alone we’ve probably had seven or eight bagfuls. Behind the bar, I’m like tripping, trying to get through,” Tabitha Mimbs, who works at Bernie’s on Tybee, said.
Bernie’s started collecting clothes and toiletries for the four women Thursday, and employees said the drop-offs have largely been anonymous.
“A lot of times, I ask their name because maybe if they wanted their name in it. A lot of them have said my name is so and so but that doesn’t matter. A lot of them are just doing it out of the kindness of their heart.” Mimbs said. “At least a handful of bars, they have jars to collect money for them.”
The outpouring of generosity, according to locals, is just an example of how close knit the Tybee community is.
“I think it’s exactly what we’d expect,” Mimbs said.
Bernie’s on Tybee as well as the Islander on Wilmington Island will be collecting women’s clothes and everyday essentials for the four women for at least the next few weeks.
“It’s heartwarming to see the community come together. It’s really nice. So many people care, and so many people are ready to help,” Gilker said.
