ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - What was supposed to be a simple Thanksgiving trip turned into a terrifying, life-or-death scramble for an Albany family — one they say they will be grateful they survived for the rest of their lives.

Kkyslir Magee, her mother, her brother and her two young grandsons were driving through Spalding County on Thanksgiving weekend when she says her brakes suddenly gave out — moments before the car erupted in flames with the children strapped in the back seat.

“It could’ve been my grandbabies. That’s all I really care about,” Magee said, still shaken as she recounted the moment when she thought she might lose them.

Magee was driving to visit family with both of her grandsons — ages two and younger — buckled in their car seats. She recorded a few cheerful videos on her phone before the incident, including one saying, “Got my lil’ grand-boys with me — They’re going to go see their GiGi.”

Moments later, everything changed.

As Magee approached a stop sign in Spalding County, she said she pressed down on the brakes and realized something was wrong.

“I hit the brakes… and the car didn’t stop,” she said. “That was scary — I didn’t see those brakes giving out.”

Her two-year-old grandson sensed something was wrong, too.

“All he kept saying was, ‘Nana, it’s a fire in the car,’” Magee recalled.

Magee said that within seconds, she saw sparks shooting out from under the hood. Then came the flames — fast, hot and spreading.

With traffic slowing behind her and smoke filling the front of the vehicle, she said instinct took over. Magee veered onto the shoulder and yelled for her brother, who was in the passenger seat, to unbuckle the children.

“The car could’ve blown up — We don’t know. We could’ve died,” Magee said. “I don’t care as much about the car… but why was my car the one blowing up with my grandbabies and my brother inside? You feel guilt, like you did something wrong.”

Magee said the driver’s side back door didn’t open, so she ran around to pull her other grandson out of the car herself.

The family sprinted away from the burning vehicle just in time.

As they stood on the roadside shaking, crying and holding the children, two strangers pulled over to help.

One woman wrapped the boys in blankets and handed over spare clothes to keep them warm in the cold evening air.

A man stopped moments later to do the same.

“I’m so grateful for her,” Magee said. “I didn’t get her name — I wasn’t in my right state of mind. And another man pulled up, and he did the same thing.”

Magee said in that moment, she believed she wasn’t alone.

“Even in the middle of all that,” she said, “God was watching over us.”

By the time firefighters arrived, the car was fully engulfed. The heat was so intense that nearly everything inside was reduced to ash.

That included their luggage, both children’s car seats, diapers, clothing, overnight bags — everything they had brought for the holiday visit.

“Yes: diaper bags, car seats, clothing,” Magee said. “We were going to spend the night and then come back home.”

The car is a total loss.

Investigators have not released a cause or confirmed what caused the brake failure.

Despite losing her vehicle and all their belongings, Magee said the only thing that matters is that her family is alive.

“I can replace the car,” she said. “But there would never be another us if anything was to happen. I’m grateful for that.”

Her family walked away without a single scratch.

Magee said they have already begun replacing the essentials — clothing, bags, supplies and new car seats — but the experience has changed her outlook this holiday season.

“The things we lost don’t matter compared to what we still have,” she said. “We got out. We’re alive. That’s enough to thank God for.”

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.