Firefighters save presents as Indiana officer’s home lost in Christmas Day fire

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - What should be one of the happiest day of the year turned into a disaster. A man and his daughter woken up by smoke and flames Christmas morning.

The fire happened in Madison, Indiana early Sunday. It’s a tragic story, but one with a bright side.

Christmas morning should be filled with fun and joy. However, for Madison Police Sgt. William Watterson and his daughter, they were met with tragedy.

A snow covered Madison police cruiser sat in front of the Watterson’s burning home.

Despite the fiery image, the blaze wasn’t enough to cancel Christmas.

“Little girl expects to get up and open presents,” Chief Brett Roberts with the Kent Fire Department said. “So it’s like, one thing is she got to open some presents. They might’ve been a little smokey, a little wet, a little damp. But at least she got her presents that came from Santa.”

The initial call came in at around 4:40 am Christmas morning. Roberts and his son, Keshaun, who are volunteer firefighters at the Kent Fire Department, were the first on the scene.

“The two of us was hitting the structure trying to get a good knock down on it because it didn’t look like it was that bad yet,” Roberts said.

More firefighters showed up, and they fought the fire for five hours. They did what they could, but Roberts said the house is a complete loss.

“It’s a good possibility it’s probably to due with extreme colds, he might’ve had some extra heaters going, kinda just overloaded the breaker box,” Roberts said.

They might’ve not been able to save the house, but they might’ve saved Christmas for Watterson’s 10-year old daughter.

Roberts said the Christmas tree was near the front door and hadn’t been touched by the fire.

“It was a blessing that at least that at least we got some,” Roberts said. “That way their Christmas wasn’t a total flop.”

That’s when they rescued the presents.

“We were able to stick some guys in there with a hose line and try to push the fire out of that room, and have another crew go in and at least get what presents he had underneath the tree,” Roberts said.

Although Watterson and his daughter were able to have their Christmas, they still need support after losing everything.

Watterson’s neighbor tells us they need food and clothing as they begin to rebuild.

If you’d like to help Watterson and his daughter, you can donate to their GoFundMe.

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