Fire Destroys Veterans Home - The Browne Family

Just days before Christmas, Blake awoke to find their home and barn ablaze, thick smoke already filling the air. The large outbuilding was already engulfed. Dozens of chickens, guineas, peacocks and turkeys trapped. Some of the equipment completely lost in the large outbuilding — lord of equipment for maintaining his grounds, tractors, and a brand new wood-splitter, were all beyond saving as well. The Willow Springs Fire Department and several companies from the surrounding areas arrive delivered 80,000 gallons of water, but both the outbuilding and mobile home were a total loss. They did manage to save the pig and rabbit, and they pulled out a couple of the smouldering round bales that were meant to feed his daughter's goats through the winter. The heat from the fire broke the windows and melted siding on the home next door(his daughter's home).

Blake Browne is no stranger to hard times: as a retired veteran, he found himself homeless, due in large part to PTSD. After struggling to find help and finding none, he slowly began to rebuild to where he is today, He is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, but in 2013 he chose to make Willow Springs, Mo., his home after reloacting from Ashland City, Tennesse, opening Indian Hill Trucking a company where his trucks are leased on to Fedex Custom Critical and runs American Diesel off W. Frisco street. He is also in the process of renovating some of the town’s old buildings, with a vision for reinvigorating the downtown. He’s very generous and caring of those who are around him . He is always helping someone.

He was resistant to receiving help from the community, preferring to be the giver. But now is the time for others to bless this family by giving back to a man who has worked so hard and given so much.

While insurance will cover part of the outbuilding loss, it will not cover the amount to replace the building or its contents. The mobile home’s insurance was recently dropped, as some insurance companies don’t want to insure them anymore. We are hoping to raise $80,000 to make up the deficit after insurance and get him quickly into a new home.