An Angle Street home was destroyed by fire last Wednesday night but, fortunately, no one was living there.
The Coxwell family has owned the home next to the Blountstown Fire Station for many years. John Coxwell was living at the residence until relocating to an area nursing facility.
The Blountstown Fire Department responded to the blaze around 9:45 p.m. and found it fully involved. “The guys fought that fire all night,” says Fire Chief Ben Hall. “Both my captains said it was one of the toughest fires to extinguish they've seen. For some reason, the fire kept creeping down into small cracks and crevices and, with the wind blowing just right, the fire just kept flaming back up. The State Fire Marshall's office investigated the fire and has ruled it as unintentional electrical.”
Calhoun County Supervisor of Elections Margie (Coxwell) Laramore is the sister of John Coxwell. She advises the home was not insured, but says a fund has not been set up to help replace it. “So many people need so much more than we do so we’ll be okay,” she remarks. “My brother wasn’t there and he is safe. That’s what matters the most. If he had been there, he wouldn’t have been able to get out of the house without assistance. I have so much to be thankful for and we will be okay. We are so thankful to the Blountstown Fire Department for all they did in trying to save the house. They showed compassion and concern. We were fortunate to have them try so hard to save the house.”
