Two Covington County families are reeling after fires completely destroyed their homes during this week’s ice storm.

The first fire occurred at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when the Donnie Harrelson Lane home of Celina and Tony Newton went up in flames.

Chief Deputy David Anderson said while the exact cause of the fire is unknown, it is believed the blaze began in the home’s garage.

“Mr. Newton said he’d been in the garage earlier in the day working, and something must’ve caught fire,” Anderson said.

Anderson said fire trucks had difficulty reaching the home.

“The roads were just treacherous,” he said. “The home was down hill toward the river, and the fire trucks had to drive real slow to get there.”

The second fire occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. Thursday. Crews from Antioch, Gantt, and Rose Hill Volunteer fire departments, along with Covington County deputies and EMS officials, responded a fully-engulfed structure fire on Straughn School Road near the intersection of Dunn’s Bridge Road at Antioch Church.

Family reported that the site was the home of Jan Bullard. A male family member at the home suffered burns to the face; however, he was able to make it out of the home safely. No other details were available as fire departments were busy Thursday assisting stranded and wrecked motorists off the highways.