SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — A Sevier County woman was stuck in her home when a wildfire broke out in the Hatcher Mountain area Wednesday.
In her mid-sixties, Janice McCarter is disabled and cannot drive, which ultimately trapped her on the hilltop.
Nearby her secluded home, Shawna Carr was cleaning rental cabins when the fire broke out. Carr befriended Janice over the years working as her caretaker on Hatcher Moutain, saying Janice is the only permanent resident on that street. Carr said the fire was scary, but she wasn't leaving that mountain without McCarter.
"She lost all the memories, clothing, anything she had, you know, her whole life turned upside down within a matter of minutes," Carr said.
Surrounded by rental cabins on Laurel Valley Way sits what's left of Janice McCarter's forever home.
"Everything was happening so fast. It went from just a little cabin being on fire to the whole mountain from what I could see," Carr said.
Carr has become Mccarter’s caretaker, getting her groceries and medication while assisting in taking care of the home.
"I don't think she would've been able to get out. Janice didn't have any type of transportation, you know, she doesn't have a car," Carr said.
Thankfully, they made it down the mountain safely together, but Janice lost her home and all of her possessions.
"The rental cabins that I clean on that side of the mountain were still standing," Carr said. "I just thought for sure it was going to be okay. I was just really shocked to find out when she came back to the bottom of the mountain that it was gone.”
Now all that stands is a chimney. McCarter’s cabin was the only residential home on the street, and the only to be burned by the fire.
"It's a devastating loss to our entire family," her daughter Kelly Knippenverg said. "She lost her walker, wheelchair, everything.”
She also lost her beloved cat, Miss Kitty. Carr said they tried to return up the mountain to retrieve Miss Kitty, but police wouldn’t allow them through the roadblocks because of dangerous conditions.
"That's all she could ask about was kitty, but it was dangerous and we had to go," Carr said.
Knippenverg said her memories in the cabin are unmatched to this day. Her grandfather’s memory was in that home, she said.
"My grandfather built that house when he was still alive as a replica of his childhood home," Knippenverg said.
Things can be replaced, she said, but her mother's life is irreplaceable, and she’s forever grateful to Carr for saving her.
"I am beyond thankful to her for saving my mother’s life. I don't think anyone would have ever found her," Knippenverg said.
"There's a lot more than just rental cabins on these mountains, you know, these are people’s homes. People's lives have been turned completely upside down," Carr said.
McCarter's family said she did not have insurance on the home --- she's lost everything including her cat, clothes, shoes and memories and possessions. The family has started a fundraiser for her. If you would like to donate, click here.