A Wharton mother is starting over after losing nearly everything in a devastating apartment fire early last Wednesday morning. Around 2:30 a.m., River Bend Apartments resident Rossilynn Hayes woke to shouts and thick smoke filling her unit. She grabbed her 18-month-old daughter and escaped just in time. Hayes, who recently moved back to Wharton and had no renter’s insurance, lost most of her belongings—including keepsakes from her late mother. She says community support has lifted her spirits as she works to rebuild her life one day at a time.