Woman Raising Great-Granddaughters Loses House To Grass Fire

An Oklahoma County family is left picking up the pieces after their home was destroyed by a fire likely sparked by a hot tail pipe coming into contact with tall grass. 

As the howling winds stoked the flames Wednesday, Sue Lawson rushed to get her three great-granddaughters out of the house - one without even the shoes on her feet.  

“I said ‘oh God, you can’t do this, you can’t do this,’” Lawson said. 

The 75-year-old widow is raising her great-granddaughters aged six, seven and nine. 

“This one’s on the principles honor roll with straight A’s,” Lawson said of seven-year-old Sunni. “She got student of the month,” she said of six-year-old Lucy. 

The four have gone through more in their lives than many could imagine. 

Nine-year-old Tatum barely made it out of her mother’s womb in a truck stop parking lot in 2012, when a homeless man stepped in to free the umbilical cord from around her neck. 

The new family told to News 9 he was an angel. The only thing that remains from the front porch where we first met Tatum 9 years ago is ashes. 

“We didn’t save anything but us, we’re all alright,” Lawson said. 

They said the most important things in their lives are still standing by their sides; each other. 

“She means the whole world to me,” Tatum said of her great-grandmother. “She’s gave me a home, food, I’m glad that I have her in my life.” 

“They were crying ‘oh my God, oh my God. Are we gonna be all right?” Lawson said. “’I don’t have any shoes’ I said, ‘we’ll get shoes, that’s fine.’” 

She said the Jones Baptist Church has offered up their parsonage as a temporary home. 

“I talked the good Lord last night and I understand he does things kind of drastic, but there is a reason for it,” Lawson said. “What I lost was just stuff.” 

Lawson’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help with recovery efforts.