Neelyville mom's quick actions saves lives, business

A Neelyville mother’s quick actions saved lives Tuesday, as well as her husband’s taxidermy business, when their home was destroyed by a fire.

Miranda McCollum was in her bedroom at the family home at 2521 County Road 345 when she smelled smoke.

Her husband, Larry Green said, “when (Miranda) looked across the hallway, the smoke was coming out of one of the boy’s closets. So she hurriedly got the kids out and called the fire department.”

Home with her was Isiah Green and Christian Mohrmann, both 10 years old.

She also called Green, who was hunting with their 12-year-old son, Logan Green. About the time she called, the alarm on his phone also alerted him to the fire.

“She went back in and the whole room was on fire,” Green said. “All we know is it started in a child’s closet.”

Butler County firefighters responded at 6:09 p.m. with seven crew members and four trucks. According to the fire report, they spent an hour and a half and 2,500 gallons of water putting out the fire.

The fire heavily damaged the bedroom and smoke and heat did significant damage to the remainder of the home

Green’s wife went to the emergency room for smoke inhalation, where she was treated and released.

Green opened his taxidermy business in May in the family’s garage. After Miranda and the two boys were safe, she hit the garage door button to open the door.

“They started dragging everything out into the yard that was customers,” Green said.

It included deer mounts from the youth hunt this past weekend, which he was getting ready to get mounted.

Miranda works at 10Box.

The family has lived in the home for six years and they have owned it for two years.

Green described the experience as “overwhelming. Everything was lost in the home.”

“People are dropping things at Neelyville High School for us,” Green said.

The family is staying at a hotel and they’ve been receiving a lot of Facebook messages, Green said.