By Ariel Worthy
The Birmingham Times
Rev. Linda Hall considers herself blessed to have survived three house fires.
“I get frightened by fires,” she said. “Every time I see a fire on the news it hurts, and I wish I could do more to help people.”
At age 8, Hall remembers getting burned in a house fire.
“I received third degree burns on my side,” she said. “It’s a suffering that I don’t want anybody to experience. I know what it is to be burned in a house fire, and I know what it is to lose a home and family in a fire, so I’ve been on all sides of a fire.”
The second house fire was extinguished in enough time.
“My daughter came downstairs and saw the fire, and my son (Eric Evans) and my then-husband were able to smother it in enough time.” Hall’s son, Eric died in 2005 of an asthma attack unrelated to the fire.
In the third house fire, which took place in Atlanta in 2013, Hall, 62, said she received burns on her shoulder. But her injuries weren’t the worst part of the fire.
“My daughter (Eris Evans, 37) was yelling ‘mama please help me, the house is on fire, I can’t get out.’ I couldn’t get to her because the fire was in the hall,” she said. “She was trapped in the bathroom, but when she finally got out she was in the hallway, the fire fighters said a plank fell on her.”
Her daughter died in the fire. The house was completely burned down, and she was trapped in the house by the plank.
“I was [about to have] a heart attack when they told me she didn’t make it,” Hall recalled. “I told them to not save me, let me go. We don’t know what my house fire started from, and that’s what’s really bothered me the most. We never found out.”
\Hall and her husband, Robert, along with his grandson were able to jump out of windows to escape the fire. However, five days later, her husband died due to injuries he received during in the blaze.
The fire still haunts her to this day, she said.
“The fire took place at 4:15 on Saturday morning, and every Saturday at 4:15 I’m awake,” she said. “It’s still there. I think about how it’s the time I lost my [daughter]. People don’t realize how devastating losing a child is, and I pray they never have to experience it.”
Recently one of Hall’s neighbors had a fire and it brings back memories of her painful experiences, she said.
“I still smell it. They’ve been in three house fires themselves and made it out,” she said. “I have to lay over here and smell it and it’s reflecting me back to my housefire. It makes me nervous.”
Hall, who volunteered in burn units in hospitals throughout Atlanta, said she would like to open a center in Birmingham and her hometown of Gadsden. Hall moved to Birmingham after the 2013 fire. She’s already started Angel Burn Walk Foundation as a place where victims of house fires can go to for shelter for those who do not have insurance.
She also wants to open centers where victims can receive counseling, other necessary resources they may need and personalized tags from the state.
“These tags are for burned people, or people who have survived house fires,” she said.
She has to get a commitment of 1,000 tags by October, before they can be distributed, she said.
Fire safety
Hall wants to use what’s she’s been through to help others.
“I know quite a bit about fires,” she said. “People don’t realize they don’t need to have bars on their windows and doors because if we had bars on our windows or doors, we probably wouldn’t have gotten out.”
When it comes to fire safety, Hall said she is more cautious than ever.
“I cook, but a lot of times I get frightened by the oven,” she said. “I go the extra mile. I’m always checking my stove – because I have a gas stove – and make sure it’s off. I get up at night often and make sure my house is okay. If any of my plugs get too hot I unplug them. If anything sounds different while it’s running I turn it off.”
It’s also important to keep the stove clean, she said.
“If you’re cooking, make sure you don’t waste grease. Make sure you clean your stove after you’re done cooking, especially if you’re frying.” She advised. “Always check your windows to see if you can get out of them. Make sure your fire detectors work. And make sure you have a ladder by your bed if you have a [two-story] house.”
If anyone survives a fire, a good community of family and friends is important.
“I don’t know if I would have made it if it wasn’t for all of the people that helped me,” she said.
Hall remembered all of the family, friends and church members who helped her find a new place, as well as prepare for the double funeral she held for her daughter and husband.
“You have to pray for strength, then you have to stay away from fires as much as possible. Protect yourself from them,” she said. “Everybody said it’s like a curse, but praise God I made it out. I’m still standing.”
