An Tennessee volunteer department has started a fundraising campaign to help two firefighter brothers who lost their home in a fire last week.
Malachi and Sam Torres, who serve with the Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Sevierville, were at work Friday when their other siblings contacted them that their house caught fire, WATE-TV reports. The brothers told them to get out of the house, and they rushed over.
Once the brothers reached the scene, they saw that one of their captains at the fire department was already there, working to put out the flames. Even though the fire was put out quickly, the smoke and heat damage destroyed belongings and the home.
“I mean, it’s pretty scary,” Malachi told WATE. “I didn’t really know what happened at first. Then I come to find out, I was shocked that happened to us.”
Following the fire, members of the department decided to do something for their fellow firefighters. They created a GoFundMe page to help raise money so the brothers can start rebuilding their lives.
"Sam & Malachi give so much to this community by volunteering their time as firefighters and helping the community when needed," the page states. "The Torres brothers recently helped a veteran stricken with COVID-19 by splitting wood to heat his home. And even more recently, volunteered to search for a missing hiker from Rhea County."
So far, the campaign has raised over $1,300 for the Torres, who are thankful for the outpouring of support. They're also thankful for the other things they've received from volunteering with the department over the years.
"I probably would of had no idea what to do if I hadn’t been through all this training," Sam told WATE. "Just something as simple as closing a door or window, you wouldn’t think about it, but in a high-pressure situation, just something as simple as that is a big thing.”
And even thought they had lost everything in the fire, the brothers—who the fire chief calls the hardest working volunteers he's ever seen—were still pr
"The day after the Fire, they brushed their troubles aside and went to a ropes safety training to help better serve their community. #Dedication #Selflessness," the GoFundMe page stated.
