Springfield, SC (WLTX) - A 91-year-old Orangeburg County woman's family says they received a sign from God after a devastating house fire.
When a storm rumbled in Sunday evening over the small Orangeburg County town of Springfield, Mary Gleaton lay awake in her bed. Next thing she knew, her house was on fire.
"She saw a strike of lightning go across the room, and she got out of the bed to go to the kitchen. And that's when she saw the flames," said Gleaton's neighbor Janet Watkins.
But that night, amidst the flames, the elderly woman wasn't alone. Her neighbors noticed the fire from across the street.
"All the people around here are like family, and we just look out for each other. My husband looked up over Mary's truck and saw the fire and smoke coming out. He started to run around the curb and he heard Miss Mary on her porch and she was screaming for help," said Watkins.
Barefooted and wearing only her nightgown, neighbors guided Gleaton to safety. "I feel like God was looking out for her and taking care of her."
The house is a total loss, and most everything inside is completely ruined, fire officials said. Two things made it out of the home without as much as a scratch: Miss Mary and a very special painting of a guardian angel leading two children across a bridge.
"The glass was broken, and it was silhouetted with the children and the guardian angel," said Watkins.
The painting is now framed by charred glass. Somehow, the flames and smoke didn't damage the picture.
We spoke with Gleaton's daughter, Sarah Davis on the unexplainable. Davis gave the painting to her mom many years ago.
"The way the glass was burned and framed, and there was no smoke damage on the actual picture," said Davis. "I felt like God was saying He's here, and that my mother was protected. That's what we need to be focusing on."
As the family surveys all that's lost, they look at what they do have, and believe someone is looking out for them.
"I said Momma, you're the only thing that matters to us."
This is the second time in Mary Gleaton's life that her home has burned down. For now she is staying with one of her sons near Aiken. He says Gleaton had fire insurance but it will not be enough to cover rebuilding costs. The family hasn't decided what to do next.
7/9/2009 2:38:06 PM
