BRUNSWICK, Ohio — Beverly and Billy Ray Watkins made decades of memories in their home on Maplewood Avenue in Brunswick.
"They've lived here for 40 years in this house," their daughter, Debra, said.
Now those memories inside are gone. The damage to their home tells you all you need to know.
"I says, 'I smell something and I smell smoke.' We have some fires out here. People make bonfires. So I thought maybe it was that," Beverly Watkins, 76, said.
Only it wasn't a bonfire. It was their beloved home on fire.
"My son got up outta the living room and walked into the kitchen and opened up the door to the garage and it was in flames," she said.
Beverly rushed to call 911, but their landline wouldn't make calls. What's worse is that Billy Ray can barely walk. He's battling stage four glioblastoma, a brain cancer.
"It's just a lot of stuff going on with my dad being sick and they lost everything to take care of him," Debra said.
As Beverly's son, Billy Ray, Jr., struggled to get his ailing dad to safety, she says a man appeared out of nowhere.
"I didn't even see him. He came up behind me and he says, 'Can I help you?' And I says, 'Well, help me get my husband over there. 'Cause he is very ill. He can't walk.' So, he did," Debra said.
Then, as quickly as he appeared, the man left. Beverly says she wants nothing more than to find him to say "thank you."
"You was an angel. You was an angel to me when you came to my need. And I wanna thank you so very much," Beverly said through tears.
Now it's about picking up the pieces, making new memories, and helping Billy Ray to live out his final days in peace, something Beverly says the fire stole from him.
"I'm losing my husband and now I'm losing my home. I lost my home. All my possessions .... God help me. Please pray for us," Beverly said.
According to Brunswick Fire Department Chief Greg Glauner, the "probable cause" of the fire was an "electrical overload" due to extension cords feeding a number of outside lights.
The Red Cross of Northeast Ohio is helping the Watkins replace things that were lost, including a hospital bed and wheelchair.
To help the Watkins family, please click HERE.
Firefighters returned to the scene Friday morning where officials say flames had reignited overnight.
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