Southern Indiana pastor's house burns down for second time

NABB, Ind. (WDRB) -- A fire burned a home down Tuesday in southern Indiana, once again leaving a pastor and his wife without a home.

The fire started in the chimney of the Nabb home near where Tom Cox was planning to take a nap.

"When my son saw that, he began to cry," Cox said, pointing to the pile of rubble. "He said, 'Look at that. That could have been you in that chair.'"

Cox's wife, Judy, wasn't home at the time of the fire but came home quickly when she heard.

"I've never seen flames like that," she said. "Everything was burning so quickly. It was just gone before our eyes."

Nabb fire — Tom Cox stands in his driveway as his home burns behind him *(Courtesy: Janene Stotts).*

Little remains of the home now, just some appliances and knickknacks. A stainless steel refrigerator melted in the blaze.

Cox had gone outside to feed his dog when the fire began. As he turned to walk back inside, he noticed the smoke and flames. He decided to run back inside to grab his Bible.

"I got so many notes in the thing and so many memories are tied up in that Bible," he said. "I just had to have it. To me, it was the most important thing for me to get."

Few family mementos remain aside from that Bible after the fire.

"You lose the things you cannot replace: my mother's wedding ring, her watch, things from his mother, family pictures, albums — things like that is totally gone," Judy Cox said.

Still, the Coxs have a positive attitude and shared laughs with family while at the home Wednesday.

"Yesterday. I was sad." Tom Cox said. "But then you begin to think about everything everybody said, and you think it's going to be all right, its going to be good."

Donations can be made to the Coxs here.