A Madison Parish mother is thankful that none of her family was in their house when it was destroyed in a fire early Friday morning.

By sheer luck, Missy Morgan, her husband Stan, sons Peyton, and Kyle Guider and daughters Abby and Lindsey Morgan were staying with friends when Missy got a call that her home about five miles south of Tallulah was on fire.

Morgan said that, besides losing some mementos and pictures, she’s grateful to have not lost more.

“I’m not a materialistic person. As long as I’ve got my family, I’m good,” Morgan said.

The fire began shortly after midnight in their home off Fort Morgan Drive, off Louisiana 65 South in Madison Parish.

Harold Allen, an officer with the Tallulah Fire Department, said the rural blaze could be seen from the highway.

“It was a passing motorists that noticed the fire,” he said.

When emergency responders arrived, the fire had gutted the central portion.

“The trailer was pretty big and it had burned in half,” he said. “The only things standing were the two sides, where most of the bedrooms were on two different sides.”

Allen said Saturday the fire was not deemed suspicious.

Fortunately for Morgan, all four children were staying with different relatives and friends.

Stan and Lindsey, a junior in high school, had gone hunting earlier that day, Peyton, 18, stayed in Vicksburg with his grandfather, Warren Guider, while Missy and second-grader Abby stayed in town with friends.

“I was going to have to get her up early the next day for school,” Morgan said of Abby.

The two stayed in Vicksburg, deciding against driving back to Madison Parish Thursday night.

“Then I got the call Friday morning,” Morgan said.

Morgan said the family is lucky to have so much family and support locally.

“My parents live in Valley Park and I have friends here in Vicksburg,” she said. “My ex-husband’s parents live here and we’ve got lots of friends and family.”

Though she expects the loss of their possessions to be difficult, Morgan said she thanks God that no one was staying there that night.

“We’re going to make it,” she said.”We’re just thankful that we weren’t at home. God sent us in different directions.”