After tragically losing his Halloween costume to a house fire, one young boy was heartbroken. However, thanks to one amazing police captain, the boy’s Halloween might not be so ruined after all.
One family recently lost everything in a house fire.
The family, from Hendersonville, N.C., suffered a tragedy on Monday morning when the RV that the family was living in caught fire while they were on a school run.
The fire destroyed not only the entirety of the family’s home but everything inside.
Edneyville Fire & Rescue responded to the fire as quickly as they could.
Robert Griffin, Fire and Rescue Chief at Edneyville, explained that they think the fire was started due to a space heater according to Yahoo News .
Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Captain Tim Griffin was the first officer on the scene.
Captain Griffin chatted with the family’s grandmother, who lived next to the RV, while they waited for the fire department to turn up.
Once the fire department had arrived, the family also returned from the school run and were devastated to see what had happened to their home.
Captain Griffin was particularly moved by one of the young boys who lived in the RV.
Captain Griffin explained, “The little boy made mention that he sure hoped his Batman costume wasn’t in there. His grandmother looked at me over his head and made the nod that it was in there.”
The 6-year-old boy’s plight truly touched Captain Griffin, who sought to do something about it.
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The captain was so moved by what had happened to the family that he went out and replaced the boy’s batman costume.
Captain Griffin explained that seeing the family having lost everything broke his heart, and he simply felt like he had to do anything that he could:
“They lost everything. I’ve seen so much bad in my career and I love kids, and it just struck me that this little boy, all he was worried about was having his Batman costume burn up.
“I didn’t care where I had to go. I was going to get this young’ un a Batman costume.”
Captain Griffin got the young boy an outfit, mask, and utility belt.
The outstanding move of kindness paid off, as the young boy was apparently “ecstatic” with the costume and put it on immediately!
“He was obviously really excited, and so was I. I said we need all the little Batmans we can get, to help us do our sheriff’s duties. So I told him you get that thing on because we need your help out here,” said Captain Griffin.
Edneyville Fire & Rescue shared Captain Girffin’s actions on Facebook.
The station shared two pictures of the boy in his Batman suit and wrote:
“We want to give a big shout out to Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Hendersonville North Carolina especially Capt Tim Griffin. EFD responded to a fire where the family lost all of their belongings. The little boy at the fire was upset that his Batman costume was lost in the fire […] It is the small things that can make such a difference in someone’s day.”
The fire department chief, Robert Griffin (no relation), was so moved by the family’s struggle and Captain Griffin’s act of kindness that he set up a GoFundMe page for the family.
Chief Griffin said that the family were reluctant to set up a page.
The fire department chief explained that Cayce Burroughs, the young boy’s mother, was trepidatious of asking for help:
“You could tell she was hesitant and didn’t want to ask for help, but it was a situation [in which] I felt they could really use it. They did not have any insurance and have lost all personal belongings. They have immediate needs, things such as clothes, diapers and hygiene products.”
The GoFundMe page has currently raised over $1,500 for the family and has a target of $3,000. On the page, the fire chief also explained that any physical donations were welcomed and could be left at the fire station.
Cayce Burroughs explained the extent of the family’s situation online.
In a heartbreaking post on Facebook, Ms. Burroughs wrote:
“We had to leave our home of 5-plus years because of problem neighbors. Not having anywhere to go we have been staying in an RV beside Mom’s which was not big enough for all of us so Austin, Blake, and Cole have been staying with their dad during the week and with us on the weekends so I am missing them all the time […]
“This morning while taking Damon to school the RV caught on fire and was gone with everything in it. So where do we go from here?”
Hopefully, the donations will help the family get back on their feet.
With the family’s future uncertain, every donation is worthwhile. The family had some assistance from the Red Cross in the initial days following the fire; however, as time moves on, it is unclear what options they have left.
Regardless, one thing that will not be ruined is one young boy’s Halloween. Little acts of kindness can go a long way in times of crisis, and I’m sure that this one will not be forgotten by that young boy or his family any time soon.
