JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In the dark and cold of Tuesday morning, around 2 a.m., a harsh reality set in for Jerry Yount. His home burst into flames. It might have been caused by an electrical overload.
Yes, he lost part of his home and some precious belongings, but nothing more precious than his best friends.
“I lost a couple of my best buddies. I had four little terriers. I lost two of them. They both passed away,” Yount said.
Jerry has lived in the home on Otis Road for 47 years. He said he smelled smoke from the vent and knew he had a fire in the home. “I started hollering ‘We got a fire, get up let’s go.’ He and his wife got out of the home with two dogs, the other two didn’t make it out.
The Red Cross brought blankets, toothbrushes, soap and a gift card and Yount is so grateful for the help, as he turns to his faith in a higher power.
“Well, God’s got a plan for me. All I gotta do is listen and keep following it, ya know,” Yount said. “I can’t let this get me down. I got friends. I got the willpower. We might get some trusses and get the roof back on it.”
Then a bit more of the reality set in.
“I’ve seen things like this happen on TV, but never to me. It’s overwhelming, it’s overwhelming,” Yount said tearfully. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I’m gonna take things one day at a time. I can’t do any more than that.”
In the meantime, Yount is thankful for his surviving two pups and will be finding a final resting place for the two he lost, Pete and Abel.