In the early hours of Thanksgiving morning the Worthington’s woke to a nightmare. At 3:30am the Worthington’s heard an explosion. Don Worthington says the bathroom window must have exploded. They looked out the window and the whole wood vine was glowing. They got the kids out but didn’t see their younger son. Worthington ran back in and was looking all through the house, but he couldn’t find him. His youngest son was safe outside fighting an impossible battle against the flames. When he was running bacl out, that’s when the whole back of the house exploded in. The house was fully engulfed in flames. It was thought that a faulty water heater caused the fire that left nothing but blackened stumps of what had been the Worthington’s home for the past 27 years.
Everything was pretty much gone except for one surprise waiting to rise from the ashes. They found their Dewalt drill and as Don’s brother found out, it still worked. Don and Kris’s nephew posted the video on Tik Tok and the story spread.
Other than the drill, Don and Kris lost everything, but friends and neighbors stepped up. There was a Go Fund Me set up for them; church groups got together and Kris says people came out of the woodwork to help. She said it was mind-blowing how many people reached out in one way or another; people that they didn’t even know. Don Worthington says it was very touching the way that people gave. Kris says the amount of things given to them was crazy too and she says even the clothes they are wearing right now.
The drill video reached Dewalt and hearing the Worthington’s plan to rebuild, the company showed up with a truckload of tools to help with the job. The Worthington’s said when Dewalt showed up it was like Christmas morning.
When asked with everything you experienced what is your biggest take-away. The Worthington’s say be thankful for everything because you never know. They said, family and friends really stepped up and you don’t realize how much people really care until something like this happens.
