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A Barnesville, Georgia man was badly burned after saving his family from a house fire early Saturday morning, Feb. 22.
Casey Paul and his wife Julie were sound asleep in their upstairs bedroom when they were suddenly awakened just after 4:00 a.m. Saturday, and discovered that their home, located in a remote area outside Barnesville, was going up in flames.
Spending the night with the couple was Julie’s two small grandchildren, who are 3 months and 4 years old. Casey’s older brother, Cody Paul, was also spending the weekend, and was asleep in a bedroom on the first floor of the house.
Amid the terrifying inferno, Casey got his wife and grandchildren safely out of the house. However, he then realized that his brother, Cody, hadn’t followed them out, and went back in, screaming for him to get out. Cody managed to flee through a separate door from his bedroom. By the time Casey escaped from the house again, he had to run through flames to get out the door.
The house was burned to the ground, and the family’s two dogs unfortunately perished in the fire. They also had two “bottle babies”, a lamb and a goat, on the back porch, who perished as well. They had lived in the home for about 10 years.
Casey was life-flighted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta with burns on 33% of his body. According to his family, Casey received second-degree burns on his face, and third-degree burns on his back, chest, arms and hands. Sunday, doctors did an emergency surgery to release his hands and arms from pressure and hopefully prevent him from losing movement and function in his right hand.
Casey’s mother, Julie Paul Trapp, wrote in a Facebook post Monday night, “Today was possibly the hardest day so far. Casey was in surgery for 6 plus hours today. They were able to remove 80-90 percent of the burnt flesh, and graft his back, arms, and hands. The good news is, it was that long because they were able to do far more than they had anticipated. Hopefully eliminating another long surgery in the next few days. However, the lengthy intense surgery made it necessary for him to keep his ventilator for at least the night.”
“It has been emotional. Watching him confused, terrified, arms tied, to prevent him pulling it out. Trying to say “help me”. Looking right at us. And us not being able to make him understand. It seems our hearts break more and more these last view days. When he is aware, and with us, he immediately goes to their loss of everything. His pup, home, livestock, everything!” she continued.
“Casey voices worry of hospital bills. Said he doesn’t have a uniform for work because they all burned. And that he needs to get back to work. His drive has not slowed down. 🙂. When he is awake he is very aware, and he seems to know everyone that comes to visit,” his mother added.
Casey has worked as a mechanic for the SunSouth John Deere dealership in Barnesville since 2015. His co-workers and neighbors are helping to feed some livestock still left on the property while Casey is in the hospital.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family. Doctors are saying he will likely be hospitalized for at least the next 30 days, as he undergoes more surgery and therapy.
Cody Paul posted photos on his Facebook page, along with an emotional tribute to the brother who saved his life. He wrote:
At approximately 4:30 Saturday morning, I discovered a new fear for fire and the devastation it can bring. The ferocity and speed at which it consumes… the chaos. I cannot close my eyes without hearing the screams from Casey urging everyone out. The despair and panic in his voice when he realized i wasn’t outside yet. I will never forget it.
When I stepped out of the bedroom, a wall of fire had already blocked my exit at the front door. Thankfully I was able to escape from a side door unharmed.
Just hours before, this was a home full of so much love, laughter, joy, optimism…. I can feel the despair of complete devastation and loss so I can only imagine how magnified that feeling is for Casey and Julie.
Hug your families and hold them close! Tell them you love them! Life is so fragile and can change in a heartbeat. Please continue to keep Casey Paul , Julie Adkins Paul, and their family in your thoughts and prayers as Casey continues to recover and they undertake this long journey of rebuilding. The overwhelming love and support from their family, friends, and coworkers has been amazing. Thank you! I love you all!
Casey Paul’s friend, Lex Hollingsworth, wrote in a Facebook post, “To be woken up this morning at 4:30 to see the home of some of my best friends engulfed in flames was literally out of a horror film.”
UPDATE SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2025
The following information was included in an update on the GoFundMe account set up for Casey:
Casey has emergency surgery Sunday to release pressure from burns. He has burns on 33% of body. Most all are 3rd degree from neck to waist, all the way around , arms & hands. His face and head are 2nd degree. His scheduled surgery Monday was a huge success. They were able to do a lot more than expected. So the surgery was very long. Over 6 hours. They took his skin from both thighs -rather large area. One leg it was the side, the other the back of the thighs area, to use as grafts. They were able to graft his whole back, arms and hands. They still have his chest , and shoulders to go. His face and head will thankfully not require grafts. He was on a vent over night. But was able to get it out Tuesday morning.
For us, watching the dressing changes is so very hard. It just takes you to your knees. To see and watch the pain on his face. It takes around 3 hours to unwrap and rewrap bandages. We have been learning a lot about burns. Information we never knew we would have to learn. Casey is a strong stubborn young man. We are thankful for his resilience. But this is enough to test the strongest man. No change in the length of time here. We have been here 1 week today. And they still say a month. We were able to get a VRBO less than 2 miles from the hospital. It is adequate for our needs, and comfortable. (but—we have
Protection) in the evenings this part of Atlanta is a little scary at night.
We are in for a long haul. We keep reassuring Casey to not worry about anything. To just heal. We appreciate every single prayer. Every thought and donation to help them. We will climb this mountain with them, right by their side. We are so looking forward to the beautiful view from the top! We know our God is good.
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