Electrical Fire Engulfs Historic Mansion At The Valley Venues
Photo courtesy of Cody Doyle
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
The Cummings family, Wildwood, and Dade County as a whole suffered a loss on the evening of May 7 when The Valley Venues’ Magnolia House went up in flames. Originally built in the 1890s and known historically as the Frye House, this recognizable Pope Creek Road structure has unofficially been declared a total loss.
Paul Cummings transformed the property into a wedding venue which his daughter, Kobi, runs. They spent the last seven years carefully restoring the beautiful old home.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Faircloth – The Valley Venues’ Magnolia House (the old historic Frye House) burned the evening of May 7 after electrical sparks started in the rear of the house and flames quickly overtook the top floor.
Cummings was out of state when the fire happened. Kobi called 911 reporting sparks coming from wires and quickly spreading flames. At the time of the call (6:04 p.m.), everyone was out of the building. Alex Case (emergency management director) reported that the first engine arrived on scene at 6:19, and crews stayed on scene until just after 1 a.m. on May 8.
The following morning, Cummings was driving up to Georgia after spending all night communicating with fire departments. “I just want to get home to my daughter,” he said.
The family is naturally devastated, and he added, “I’m devastated for the whole Dade and Wildwood community. We suffered a loss—not just me. The house was a focal point of Pope Creek Road.”
Because the house was such a well-known and loved structure in Wildwood, Cummings chose to save it. “I could’ve torn it down, but I took seven years to painstakingly restore that house. I was so proud of it. People came from miles and miles away to take pictures of it. I was passing it on to my daughter, and of course we’re heartbroken.”
The venue has multiple wedding sites, and because most of the weddings make use of the rest of the property for ceremonies and receptions, Cummings anticipates a full wedding season this spring summer. However, he added that the house is the first thing people see when they drive up, so losing it is still a blow to the weddings.
Dade County Station One and Station Four were the first to respond. Case sent out a call to all other departments requesting help, and Davis, South Dade, and West Brow joined the scene.
Then, Case requested mutual aid. Situations like these highlight the importance of Tri-State Mutual Aid. The City of Chattanooga responded, and their ladder truck was especially important. The Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management brought an air truck (because the firefighters’ air tanks were running out) and a rehab unit (to care for all on the scene). GDC Fire Station Nine (Walker State Prison) also responded.
Meanwhile, New Home, New Salem, and our mutual aid partners (Walker County, Higdon, Dekalb County/Valley Head, and McLemore departments) covered the rest of the county. Thankfully, there were no other fire-related calls that night.
After a few rounds of entering the home to knock down the flames, the firefighters attacked from the outside. Once the fire reached the attic, it was too dangerous to enter because of the risk of the ceiling caving in. The departments contained the fire and continued to hit the hot spots for hours.
Case reported that several bystanders helped pull hose early on because the firefighters were already tired before reinforcements arrived.
With so many departments on scene, the Incident Command system is integral in tracking which departments are inside. Case oversaw all communication and coordination, while Ansel Smith (Trenton assistant chief) oversaw operations.
Photo by Lydia Berglar – Taken the morning after the fire, this photo shows the back room where sparks from an electrical box turned into flames.
About 400,000 gallons of water later (pulling from a hydrant roughly 500 feet from the house), the Dade departments left a few engines on scene in case the fire rekindled in the night. (It did not.)
This fire caused some citizens to wonder about the sustainability of our current volunteer system. The community applauded the first responders for their work, noting that many had to return to work the next morning after a long, exhausting night. Case noted the difficulties in retaining and recruiting volunteers.
Meanwhile, Cummings is already planning to rebuild Magnolia House eventually and was speaking with the insurance company the morning after the fire. The columns on the front porch seem to be salvageable, so he is hoping they can be used in the new house.
Cummings thanked all of the fire departments for their hard work and efforts to save the home.
UPDATE: May 23, 2025
After learning that insurance will not cover the full cost to rebuild, the Cummings started a GoFundMe fundraiser with the goal of $100,000 for Magnolia House.
Kobi wrote, “We’ve already begun working with architects and engineers. We’re ready to rebuild. But we can’t do it alone. This is where we humbly ask for your help. Insurance will not cover the full cost of cleanup and restoration, and we’re facing an immense financial challenge to bring the Magnolia House back to life. Every dollar raised will go directly toward clearing the site, preserving what we can, and beginning the rebuild—so that one day soon, we can fling open those doors again and invite our community back inside.”
You can visit the GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-our-beloved-magnolia-house.
