An Evergreen house fire claimed the lives of two Georgiana School students Saturday night.

Tenth grader Cody Messer and fifth grader Kacey Messer were believed to be visiting their father for the weekend when the home caught ablaze.

Georgiana School principal Bryant Marlow said that the news rocked the close-knit community of Georgiana to its core.

“It’s definitely going to be tough,” Marlow said.

“Any time you have a small community where everyone knows everyone and you have that family environment, it’s just like losing one of your own children.”

Marlow added that Georgiana School is aiming to have counselors in place tomorrow to help students, as well as faculty and staff, cope with the loss.

“Mrs. Bryan has been assisting me with making sure that we can use other school counselors to come in,” Marlow added.

“There could be an overwhelming number of students dealing with the pain of losing a classmate, especially with one being in a lower grade and the other being on the high school side.  So we’re just trying to make sure we’re prepared to be able to nurture and support everyone there, from teachers on down to students.”

Though nothing has been made official, Marlow plans to start a fundraising campaign to support the family.  Those interested in donating are asked to call Georgiana School.

The story will be updated with more information as it is made available.