House fire devastates home, family loses everything

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Around 2:09 a.m. Friday morning, the Manning Fire Department responded to a call from Eric Morris of 263 Manchester Road in Manning. The Morris family will never forget the rude awakening in the early morning hours of March 2, 2018. Morris recalls that he was “woken up by a loud popping sound,” which he took to be a possible intruder. He immediately jumped out of bed to investigate but what he found instead was a fire spreading rapidly above his head. The next few minutes were a blur as he quickly went back in to get all his family members out of the house, including his six-month-old grand child who was spending the night in his care. According to Morris, the family literally walked out of the house, “just minutes” before the entire house was engulfed in flames. All family members made it out safely. When daylight came, the true horror of what the family escaped hit family members as they were gathered in the front yard surveying the aftermath of the fire. The back of the house was even worse. The damage was horrendous and it appeared the house was a total loss. However, the Morris family was amazed to see one particular item that made it through the fire intact. And that item was a family Bible. The hutch on which it sat and everything around it did not fare so well. One family member smiled through her tears as Mr. Morris, who was sitting in the front seat of his truck stated emotionally that, “God was watching out for us.” This family has lost everything except the clothes they were wearing. The Morris Family is in need of men’s shirts, size small to extra-large, men’s pants size 28, 32 and 40 and any women’s clothes. Anyone wishing to donate these items can bring them to The Manning Times Office located at 230 East B