GORDON, Ga. — Neighbors in Gordon are remembering Russell and Cindy Hawthorn after their home went up in flames Friday afternoon, killing the elderly couple who neighbors say were well-known in the neighborhood.
Peggy Raines has known the Hawthorns most of her life and says she couldn't believe what had happened after seeing the fire trucks stop at their home.
"They're such good people. You would see Russell going up and down the road just about every day. After he got home from the hospital, he'd always pick up food down from the local restaurant. He'd always blow the horn, wave at you, smiling every time you saw him," Raines said.
Raines says what happened to the Hawthorns and their home is devastating. She says she was in her front yard when she saw the first fire truck go by. Raines says the close-knit community tried to save the two neighbors who she says were like family.
"They were good people, they loved their children, their parents and all their siblings," Raines said. "They were a close family."
13WMAZ called Gordon Police Chief Mike Hall who wasn't there at the time of the fire. He says fire crews from the Gordon Fire Department were not dispatched to the scene. Instead, crews from Irwinton, McIntyre and Baldwin County responded to the fire.
Other people we spoke with who would not speak to us on camera told us that people from across the street and next to the home rushed over, trying to get Cindy and Russell out of the home. But when they went to open the door, there was a cloud of smoke and they couldn't see.
Raines says the Hawthorns didn't deserve this.
"They were good people, they loved their children, their parents and all their siblings," Raines said. "They were a close family."
Raines told us she worked with Russell for almost 60 years at BASF and knew Cindy from church. She said she relates to losing a loved one after losing her husband several years ago. She says memories are all that's left.
"It's still so sad to look at it, but they're going to have to pick up the pieces and go on," Raines said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
MORE THAN A NUMBER:
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