GULF SHORES, Ala. — Fire destroyed the home of a Gulf Shores firefighter Wednesday night in Foley, and now local fire stations are calling on the community to help.

According to Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby, firefighters were dispatched at 11:01 p.m. responding to a residential structure fire on County Road 20. The fire was home of Corey Parker, a firefighter for the city of Gulf Shores for the past three years.

“The family was at home at the time of the fire, but everyone got out okay,” Darby said. “When we arrived on the scene we had a lot of involvement. We had fire throughout the first floor living area including the living room and kitchen area, but we went in and aggressively put it out.”

Darby said the house had major fire damage on the first floor of the house, with minor fire damage but heavy heat and smoke damage on the upper floor.

At this point, Darby said they are not sure of the cause and are listing the blaze as an undetermined fire.

“I do not believe the fire was of a suspicious nature at all,” Darby said.

Darby said he did not realize at the time they were fighting the fire at the home of a fellow fireman, but some of his personnel recognized Parker when they arrived on the scene.

“We certainly feel for him,” Darby said. “That is one of our brothers in the fire service. This is our worst nightmare. We see so many people go through what he is having to go through, and you just never want to be on that side of it.”

In Gulf Shores, fellow firefighters have already begun the work of helping Parker, his wife Julie, and their three children bounce back from the devastation.

“We have set up a fund for them so people can give donations and we are accepting clothes at the fire station if people want to drop off something for them,” said Gulf Shores fireman Brian McMahan, who has been with the fire department for seven years. “The fire gutted the house and they pretty much lost everything.”

McMahan said local fire unions have already donated money toward helping the family.

“All of their school clothes burned, so the kids need school clothes and we are headed into the cold weather so they need winter clothes as well,” McMahan said.

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