The mother of star NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin issued an emotional plea for more fire funding during the Gaston County Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday night.
Her plea came nearly three months after her husband, Dennis, died from injuries sustained in a Dec. 28 house fire on Blacksnake Road.
Mary Lou Hamlin stood at the podium with tears in her eyes during the March 25 meeting, flanked by her daughter, Denny’s fiancée Jordan, and local firefighters.
“Dec. 28 was one of the saddest days of my life,” she told county leaders through tears. “It was the last time I saw my husband of 52 years, when I pulled him out of our burning home.”
“I didn’t understand at the time that the fire trucks were there but not the water,” she said. “There was no water to put out my house. I am advocating for funding to be included in this year’s budget. Training on emergency response, additional equipment, staffing … are just a few of the things to help strengthen the fire protection in our area, in which funds are desperately needed.”
— WBTV —