Family loses house in fire near anniversary of child's death

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A local family is struck with a tragedy again one year after losing a daughter to a drowning in the Chattahoochee River.

Alyssa Calhoun, 14, drowned while spending time with family and friends at the McIntosh Reserve Park along the Chattahoochee River in Whitesburg on March 18, 2016. Her sister, Kendall, who was 6 years old at the time, nearly died in the incident. She later recovered after spending days at the hospital.

The girls' grandmother Jeanette Calhoun told FOX 5's Marissa Mitchell that Kendall, her three siblings, and father lost their home to a fire on this anniversary week of Alyssa's death.

"We have been through so many tragedies. I am just in disbelief. We just don't understand why. We were hoping 2017 would be a new start and a new beginning. It is just heartbreaking."

Calhoun said the house in Grantville, which the family was renting, is a total loss after catching fire Wednesday. The family's pets died in the blaze, Calhoun added.

If you would like to help this local family that is now displaced, visit gofundme.com/6gzja6-victim.

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