Woman Loses Home to Fire on Day of Her Husband's Funeral

A Springdale, Maryland woman coping with the loss of her husband of nearly four decades was attending her spouse's funeral last weekend when she was hit with a second loss -- the couple's home was destroyed by a fire.

Firefighters were battling the blaze as Cora Wilson sat in her beloved husband Phillip Wilson's funeral on what would have been his 60th birthday.

First-responders were called to the family's house on the 3800 block of Endicott Place in Springdale, Maryland about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Two firefighters were hurt as they extinguished the blaze.

Widow Cora Wilson said she was reeling from the double loss.

"It's like a hole just come inside, in the heart," she said Friday as she tried to salvage family photos damaged by flames, smoke and water.

Cellphone video taken by a neighbor shows a powerful fire near the top of the house. Investigators determined the blaze was electrical, and started at the top of the stairs, Wilson said.

Wilson said she's still trying to figure out her future.

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"Still, I have a lot to be thankful for. It could have been all of us just get trapped in here," she said.

A neighbor is collecting donations for the Wilson family through a GoFundMe page.

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