Community rallies to help family of beloved school bus driver displaced by fire

MADISON – The Madison community is coming together today to help a beloved school bus driver and his family after a house fire destroyed their house and two cars last night.

The Edwards family – Tim, his wife Denise and son Reece – was displaced after their home caught fire and was destroyed by fire Wednesday evening. Thankfully, no one was injured in the blaze.

Tim, who has worked for Madison City Schools, said they bought the house on Hilltop Ridge Drive, near Burgreen Road, in Madison last year as their retirement home.

When the first Madison Fire and Rescue units arrived a little after 5 p.m., the home was already fully engulfed in flames. This morning all that was left was the charred shell of the homes’ walls and burned out cars.

While insurance will replace some items, it will not cover everything. Also, both cars lost in the fire only carried liability insurance.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Edwards family recover. It can be found here.

Thursday afternoon people have donated about $6,000 of the $100,000 goal. Many people also took the opportunity while donating to share fond thoughts about the Edwards family. One person said, “Mr. Tim is the best bus driver ever. He goes way above and beyond! He loves the kids and their safety is priority number 1.”

Another person commented, “We donated because Mr. Tim has always been a good role model for the children, is caring, and looks out for them.”