Ennis family pays it forward to others in need following tragic house fire

Fundraiser underway to help the Reids, who lost their Castleton home to a chimney fire last month

When the Ennis family lost their home in August to a fire, the Rappahannock County community rallied and raised money to help them rebuild. Now, Shannon Ennis is finding herself on the other side of a tragedy, helping to raise funds for another local family who experienced a similar disaster.

Heather and Wally Reid lost their Castleton home to a fire that began in the chimney on Nov. 13, Ennis said. The family of four, along with their two dogs, safely made it out of their home but watched it burn down, according to a GoFundMe page created by Ennis shortly after the incident.

“Being on the other side, I just felt like I could repay the community by helping out this other family,” Ennis said. “I can't repay everyone in the community, but I can help this one family.”

Ennis said her and Heather’s daughter, Olivia, are friends, and Olivia is a part of Ennis’ Girl Scout troop. She said when her family lost their home in August, the Reids’ stepped up to help, donating their own toys to her children.

Ennis is a Rappahannock County Volunteer Fire and Rescue volunteer, and she said she saw the alert on her phone that the Reids’ house was on fire. She said she reached out to Heather and Wally, and they sent her back pictures of the fire.

“They were just watching it burn, so it was really hard on me to think of someone else going through that, but they were actually watching it,” Ennis said. Heather Reid could not not immediately be reached for comment for this report.

She said she helped the family in the beginning by fielding some donations of things she knew they would need right away, like clothes and furniture. Ennis said their children have also been able to talk to each other about losing their home, something most children do not have to experience.

“Funds donated will help replace their clothes, personal effects, furniture, bedding, and Christmas presents for Dylan and Olivia,” Ennis wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Please consider donating and sharing this page to help this wonderful family rebuild their lives and home.”

Ennis’ Gid Brown Hollow residence caught fire in August. She and her husband, Robert, were at work, and her two kids, ages six and eight, were at school. Ennis said she got an alert on her phone of a fire in Washington, and realized it was her own address.

Ennis said an investigator found the cause of the fire to be electrical and started in the middle of the home. The family lost everything, Ennis said, but was able to salvage her grandmother’s wedding albums. “Everything we own fits in a milk crate,” she said at the time.

Members of the Rappahannock County community did not hesitate to show support for the Ennis family soon after the tragedy. Ennis’ co-worker organized a fundraiser for the family through GoFundMe shortly after the incident. The fund has raised more than $29,000.

The family is now living in a rental home in Chester Gap and is working to rebuild their home on the same property.