Appomattox family in desperate need of help after house fire, looting

Appomattox native Sherika Megginson, a single mother of two, is desperate for help. In only a matter of minutes, on April 2, a grease fire burned their home on Martha Street in Appomattox, destroying the roof over their heads and their belongings. What little that was left behind, others looted from the exposed wreckage, inflicting another blow to the already hurting family.

Megginson said she had left the house for about five minutes that day to pick something up from the store. When she returned, it was too late.

The house had already been fully engulfed by flames even though the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department arrived shortly after the call for help.

“My sweet babygirl was simply trying to cook something to eat when things took a drastic change for the worse,” Megginson wrote on her GoFundMe page. “I keep assuring her that everything will be ok and it is not her fault it was simply a mistake and we will get through this together.”

As Megginson attempts to comfort her two children and her own heart in dealing with the trauma, she’s also seeking to grapple with the realities of being displaced from their home.

The family had lived in the rented Martha Street home for about four or five years, Megginson said. They did not have renter’s insurance.

There’s more to this story in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Pick up a copy or subscribe at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to view the full article in the e-edition version.