Community rallies around family who lost everything in fire

McKENZIE, Tenn. — A local family suffered a tragedy, and the community stepped in to help.

On Friday, Dan Hoffman’s life changed forever when he woke up to the smell of smoke and fire.

“I screamed my younger sister’s name to wake her up, and then I opened my window, threw my dog out, and then got out my window, went to her window to help her get out,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman and his family lost almost everything inside. The damage caused by the fire and water put on the blaze was too much.

Now, the house where Hoffman, his younger sister and his mother lived will have to be torn down.

“We haven’t really gone back through it yet much. It’s kinda been a bit much to go back through there already,” Hoffman said.

Since the fire, the community has stepped in to help the family.

Organizations across McKenzie have all pitched in to get the Hoffmans’ beds to sleep in, clothes to wear and more.

One of those groups is Hoffman’s employer, Goose’s Computers and Games in downtown McKenzie.

“Very good, very intelligent employee. He always comes in on time; he’s always here; he’s always available; he’s helpful,” said Jason Latham, the owner of Goose’s Computers and Games.

Hoffman’s coworkers wanted to find a way to help out and chose a gaming tournament, scheduled for this weekend, to raise money for the family.

“We decided that the best way to do that would be to take all of his friends that he had gathered here as an employee and host an event for him,” Latham said. “All the entry fees will be donated to him and his family to help recover any of the lost items or try to help with any expenses they may have.”

“They’ve been accepting donations at the shop, and it’s just been amazing, all that they done for us. You don’t realize how much people do for each other until something like this happens,” Hoffman said.

The family says that Bobby Gee’s Diner, local churches and the American Red Cross have all offered help.