'Broke' Powerball lottery winner who squandered his $315m fortune before his daughter tragically died suffers more misfortune as his home is gutted in a fire

  • Jack Whittaker was already a millionaire businessman when he hit the jackpot on Christmas Day in 2002 and opted for $113million in cash
  • On Friday, a fire broke out and his Bland County, Virginia, home was declared a total loss after fire fighters from five departments arrived
  • His wife was not injured, and Whittaker was on his way to work at the time
  • He has previously detailed his misfortunes after winning the lottery
  • Whittaker said he burned through his money in just a few years, was robbed several times, divorced and had family members die as a result

By Jessica Chia For Dailymail.com

Published: 20:26 EST, 2 December 2016 | Updated: 11:20 EST, 3 December 2016

Powerball winner Jack Whitaker lost his Virginia home in a fire on Friday

The home of a Powerball lottery winner was destroyed in a fire on Friday.

Jack Whittaker, who hit the $315million jackpot on Christmas Day in 2002, lost his Bland County, Virginia, house after a blaze started in the kitchen.

Whittaker was robbed several times following the win and claimed he went broke just four years later.

He also blamed the deaths of both his granddaughter and his daughter to the winning Powerball ticket, saying he wished he had ripped it up. 

The fire was reported at 7am on Friday, and firefighters from five different departments arrived at the Deer Run Estates, WVVA reported.

The house sustained extensive damage and was eventually declared a total loss, according to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Whittaker's wife was inside the home at the time, but she emerged safely. 

The fire was reported at 7am on Friday, and firefighters from five different departments arrived at the Deer Run Estates

Whittaker's wife was inside the home at the time, but she emerged safely. He was on his way to work at the time

The house sustained extensive damage and was eventually declared a total loss

The lottery winner was on his way to work when the fire broke out. He told Metro News the house was not insured.  

Whittaker was already a millionaire when he scored the second highest Powerball Jackpot claimed by an individual in 2002.

He chose to receive more than $113million in cash, but soon used it up and said he had been robbed a dozen times, CNN reported.

Less than a year after his win, Whittaker was robbed of $545,000 in cash from his car, which he parked at a strip club.

He eventually got divorced, and in 2004, his granddaughter Brandi Bragg, was found dead at a friend's home.

Video courtesy of WVVA-TV  

While authorities did not pin down a cause of death, illegal drugs were found in her system. 

By 2007, he said his bank accounts were mostly empty, and in 2009, his daughter died.

He blamed the Powerball win, telling Time earlier this year: 'My granddaughter is dead because of the money. You know, my wife had said she wished that she had torn the ticket up. Well, I wish that we had torn the ticket up, too.'  

Whittaker has since remarried, and says he's still toiling as his two businesses struggle.  

Whittaker said he wished he had torn up the winning ticket (pictured left, his daughter Ginger McMahan, and second from left, granddaughter Bradi Bragg)

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