A benefit account has been set up at Pike National Bank in Brookhaven for an area woman whose house burned down in late January.

Mary Ruth Brown said on Jan. 22 she received a call from her grandson telling her that the home that she and her husband Lewis owns in Brookhaven was on fire. She said her husband, who was at home at the time, was asleep and awoken by the smoke. Brown said by the time she had returned home, the house was almost gone and was completely burned down by the time the fire department made it to the residence.

“We were thankful that he [Lewis] got out,” Brown said about her husband.

Alderwoman Karen Sullivan started the fund after several people asked her about it. Sullivan worked with Brown at Brookhaven High School, where they both taught English.

Brown said they’re currently staying with their daughter-in-law and that insurance will provide them with a temporary living situation until they are able to find a more permanent abode.