TANGIER ISLAND, Va.- It was four months ago that a 79-year-old woman lost her life in a house fire on Tangier Island in Accomack County. Despite frantic attempts to save Bertie Anne Parks, thick smoke made any hope of rescue impossible.
The tragedy united the residents of the island located on Virginia's portion of the Chesapeake Bay, as people rallied together immediately, raising money to help the family rebuild.
Now, the fruits of their labor are truly rising from the ashes. Ground was broken Wednesday on a new home for the family Bertie leaves behind.
"If anything good can come out of something like this, it pulled Tangier together," said Tangier Island Councilman Tommy Eskride, who was one of the first on scene to try and help the woman who had been his neighbor his whole life.
And the help hasn't stopped.
"I'm sure that Miss Bertie's looking down and she's happy," Eskridge remarked. "She's smiling because her family's being taken care of, just like she used to take care of them when she was with us."
Insurance agent and Tangier Island advocate Iris Treakle has been leading the charge and says Wednesday's groundbreaking represents a symbol of a community coming together.
"I'm just amazed at times how they come out and they help and anything they could do. I just remember hearing that so much, 'Anything I can do,' and what a great family that this community is," Treakle said.
According to Treakle, getting to this point has taken a lot of persistence. Many organizations would not help out because of the location.
But persistence paid off.
"Phone calls started happening and they said I think we can come and do this, I think we can help out and build a house. It's like putting a puzzle together because we've had from Maryland to Virginia to Tennessee to Kentucky," she explained.
Bertie's family couldn't be more grateful.
"I'm just thankful for the community and this has got to be from the Lord, for something like this to come to Tangier Island. We've never seen anything like it," said Birdie's daughter, Cynthia Pruitt.
Treakle said the walls will be up and the home will be move-in ready as soon as possible.
"I would say within three weeks is their time frame to build it and complete it and hand her the keys."
