Just four days before Christmas, a Wood County family has lost everything they own, including the Christmas presents they'd bought for their two young children.
The Taylor family and their children, ages three and four, were not home when the blaze started Saturday afternoon. They were at a Christmas party, when they found out their home was on fire.
"My wife's family is on the Richfield fire department," said Gerald Taylor, standing in front of what remains of the house. "And they called and said our house was burning."
"So we came home," Taylor said. "To this."
Taylor's father-in-law Keith Albright is the Assistant Chief of the Richfield fire department.
"Every fire is different, but the fact that it's your own family," said Albright shaking his head. "It's your own daughter's.”
"It goes through your mind, what are they going to say when they get here?" Albright said, looking back to the day he helped fight the fire. "What do I say to them when they get here?"
Even though the Taylors have lost everything they own, they said they will still celebrate Christmas. They said they will be staying with family in the area.
"It's the birth of Christ." Taylor said. "It goes on regardless. This is just a building. We've got our family. That's the big thing."
People wanting information on how to help the Taylors can call Assistant Chief Keith Albright at (715) 676-3920.
