A Cherokee County woman and her daughter are picking up the pieces after a fire engulfed their home August 18.

Sherry Elliott and her daughter Amber Hutchins were shocked to find their double-wide mobile home in shambles Monday following the blaze.

Residents living nearby were the first to notice smoke rising from the site. Firefighters from several local fire departments arrived at the scene minutes later.

Firefighters from the Draytonville/ McKowns Mountain/ Wilkinsville and Corinth volunteer fire departments and the City of Gaffney quickly brought the fire under control. However, the damage had already been done.

Elliott said she lost everything she owned as a result of the blaze, which is believed to be electric in nature, according to a local fire official.

"I lost everything in the fire," Elliott said. "It is a total loss."

The local woman believes fortunes took a bad turn when a lightning storm passed through the area a few weeks ago. While no structural damage could be seen, the home began showing signs of electrical problems.

"For a while after the storm, we had problems from one side of the double-wide," Elliott said. "I don't know if something hit the house or not, but it's caused some problems."

Clothes and other necessities were lost in the fire. But at the top of her priority list is finding a roof over her and her daughter's heads.

"I'm pretty sick to my stomach about this. The only thing I know to do is keep working," Elliott said. "We've spent a night in a car, at a hotel and another at my mother's house. It's a lot when you have to worry about where you are going to lay your head at night."

The family is receiving insurance money to help with lodging, with the American Red Cross of Cherokee County also chipping in.

"They have been wonderful. With the money we've been able to eat and buy clothes," Elliott said.

Anonymous donors from around the county have also contributed.