COMMUNITIES UNITE BEHIND FIRE VICTIMS

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- A Friday-night gospel singing, featuring four groups and a soloist, will benefit Donald Tucker and his son Corey Tucker, who were both severely burned last month in a mobile home fire.

The blaze started early Tuesday, Nov. 29, in the Tucker family mobile home in Olive Branch. Tracy Tucker escaped unharmed, but her sons Alex Michael Tucker, 1, and Nicholas Ray Tucker, 3, were killed in the blaze.

Her husband and 2-year-old son Corey Tucker were taken to the burn unit of St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis.

Corey Tucker came home from the hospital Monday. His hands are still bandaged and a few places on his face have to be treated.

Don Tucker still is in serious condition with severe burns on his left foot, right arm and chest. Jo Ann Sissom, Donald Tucker's mother-in-law, said he has been heavily sedated since the accident, but doctors are lessening the amount of medication.

"He was conscious the night of the fire, but we don't know if he's even aware of what has happened," Sissom said. "For the first few weeks, it was really touch-and-go. We had our doubts that he would make it."

Doctors predict that Tucker will be home at the end of December at the earliest.

Sissom said Corey won't need skin grafts.

"His spirits are good, but he remembers a lot about the fire," she said. "His has an outstanding vocabulary for a two-year-old, and he talks about the fire. He says his daddy was carrying him out."

Sissom said the cause of the fire was electrical, but her daughter will meet with the fire marshal today for specifics.

The family spends much time on the highway between Olive Branch and St. Louis, and travel and medical expenses are mounting.

To help defray costs, WGGH radio in Marion and the Alexander Free Will Baptist Church joined forces to plan a gospel concert, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the church, located two miles north of Olive Branch on Route 3.

The Challengers, Prairie State Quartet, The Gloryroad Travelers, Peace and soloist Gary McClellan will perform free of charge, with all donations going to the Tucker family.

"I saw the Tuckers' story on the news," Mike Hutson, the event's organizer, said. "It's the Christmas season, and there are children involved, and my heart just went out to them. When people are hurting, they need help."

The church seats 200, but additional seating will be available in an attached fellowship hall. Hutson expects about 500 people, a standing-room-only crowd.

Even before the concert was organized, several southern Illinois residents and organizations donated clothing, household items and money to the Tuckers. A special fund has been set up for them at the Tamms State Bank.