CANTON — A 73-year-old woman’s birthday took a tragic turn Saturday when her Canton home burned down while she was out celebrating with family.

The disaster comes just two years to the day after Eva Childers buried her husband, with whom she built the home 56 years ago.

On the same day, her grandson, Wilburn “Doby” Childers, killed his brother, Charles Wayne Childers, in Pickens County.

The shooting was ruled to be in self-defense, according to the Pickens Progress, after Superior Court Judge Amanda Mercier ruled that self-defense justified the shooting and he would not face charges brought by the state.

Tim Cavender, spokesman for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, said firefighters responded to find the two-story home on the 600 block of Sam Nelson Road engulfed in flames at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Cavender said Childers, her 48-year-old son and his 4-year-old daughter were in Dawsonville at the time to celebrate Childers’ birthday with friends and family.

Her other son, who also lived at the residence, was in Indiana at the time.

No injuries were reported, Cavender said.

Cavender said the home was “totally gutted” and the cause of the fire is pending an investigation by the Cherokee County Fire Investigator.

When contacted Monday, Childers’ daughter, Betsy Hillhouse, said her mother was too emotional to speak with the Tribune.

“The more she’s interviewed, the worse it is for her,” the Dawsonville woman said.

Hillhouse said she and the rest of her family are devastated about the fire.

“It was my family home,” Hillhouse said.

She added though she’s been out of town, she has been in contact with the county fire inspector and her mother’s insurance company about rebuilding the home.

“We’re dealing with what we have to deal with,” Hillhouse said.