Volunteers Dig Through Wildfire Ash to Find Family Treasures

When your home burns to ash, finding grandma's wedding ring in the rubble feels like finding hope itself.

That's exactly what Samaritan's Purse volunteers are delivering to families in Brantley County, Georgia, where a massive wildfire destroyed more than 100 homes across 35 square miles. While firefighters have the blaze 85% contained, the real recovery work is just beginning.

Volunteer crews suit up in full protective gear and rotate through the debris every 15 minutes in the scorching heat. Using special screens, they carefully sift through ash and charred remains, hunting for anything that survived the flames.

"Next thing you know, we've got grandma and grandpa's rings or whatever it might be," says Aaron Richards, program manager with Samaritan's Purse. "That's the starting of hope, the starting of a rebuild."

The teams include both national volunteers who travel with the nonprofit and local helpers from nearby churches and towns. They're operating out of Hickox Baptist Church and are already booked solid through next week.

One homeowner, whose family has owned their Hortense property for decades, is already planning to rebuild on the same land. The recovered treasures give families something tangible to hold onto as they face the overwhelming task of starting over.

The Ripple Effect

This recovery effort shows how disaster brings out the best in people. Volunteers are traveling from across the country to spend their days in hazardous conditions, searching for items they'll never own, for families they've never met.

The work is physically demanding and emotionally heavy, but it's creating something powerful. When volunteers hand over a recovered heirloom, they're not just returning an object. They're telling families they're not alone in this.

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are also on site, providing emotional support as families process their losses. The combination of physical help and emotional care is giving people the strength to move forward.

Families who need help can call (833) 747-1234, and anyone wanting to volunteer can sign up at spvolunteer.org. The response has been so strong that crews are fully scheduled, proving that even in the darkest moments, people show up for each other.

In the ashes of devastation, volunteers are helping families find not just their treasures, but their path forward.