SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. -- Andy Hill’s daughter and mother were killed in a fire that destroyed their Spotsylvania home on Jan. 12.
Hill suffered terrible burns trying to rescue them. Doctors took skin grafts from his leg to help heal third-degree burns on his arm and hand.
Hill says he needs those wounds to heal because he's the one who pulls the strings behind the scenes at the annual Kennedy Center honors in Washington, DC.
His road to recovery starts and ends everyday with remembering his mom and daughter. "I feel like I've lost a lot,” he said Wednesday in his first television interview since the tragedy. “Thoughts of her graduating, walking her down the aisle."
The memories this father has of his precious 12-year-old daughter are ones Hill will carry forever in his heart. In fact, Hill says dealing with the daily pain of his injuries from that fatal fire wouldn't be possible without her spirit.
"I just call out to Roanna. The pain goes away,” he said. “It's like I get little hugs from her."
Roanna Hill (PHOTO: Hill family)
Hill is just out of VCU's Burn Center and still has a long way to go, coping with the vivid images and the haunting shouts for his daughter and mom to come to safety is one of the hardest things to shake.
"I remember Ro running upstairs and saying ‘I gotta’ help grandma’ and I let her go. I didn't think the fire was that bad,” Hill said. “She wanted to get her grandma because she was handicapped. Things went up so fast."
Grandmother and daughter were stuck on the second floor.
On Tuesday, Spotsylvania's fire chief answered CBS 6’s questions that had been raised by an anonymous, self-styled “insider.” Hill says he watched the report, and while he and his wife did wonder about how much time it took to launch a ladder, he says on the night of the fire, everything felt like an eternity.
"I'm not a firefighter. I don't want to blame anyone. It's not going to bring them back,” he said. "In the end, I hope they do learn something so other lives can be saved. This is the worst thing that's happened to our family."
Hill offered thanks to the community for helping his family through difficult times.
He and his wife are still making funeral arrangements for Roanna’s funeral and we’ll keep you posted about her memorial service as well.
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