Family Home Destroyed By Fire

On 01/26/18 my family’s home, all of their wordly possessions, cherished baby books, photo albums, and belongings passed down from relatives who have passed were all destroyed in a house fire. As my Mom napped, my brother was playing with his 4-year old son downstairs when he began to smell what he thought was popcorn burning. When he checked it out further and searched for the smell, he discovered his bedroom was partially engulfed in flames from an unknown source. There wasn’t anything plugged into the electrical outlets, no candles burning, no known cause at all. My brother tried putting out the fire with blankets and towels. He went to the bathroom to fill the trash can with water. When he returned to the bedroom the fire was out of control! He grabbed his son, ran to wake up our Mom, and got everyone out of the house safely. As my Mom called 911, my brother realized 2 of their 3 dogs were still trapped inside the house. My brother tried to run upstairs to my Mom’s room to rescue the 2 dogs hiding under the bed but the black smoke made it impossible to see or breathe. My Mom, brother, and nephew had to watch and pray as the firefighters arrived and quickly got to work. The firefighters did amazing work subduing the fire and rescuing the 2 trapped dogs, one of which was rushed in critical condition to the emergency vet and is currently in critical condition in intensive care due to the smoke inhalation. All-in-all the firefighters credited my brother with being able to get everyone out of the house safely and having the presence of mind to shut the door of his bedroom when he realized he could not control the fire. The firefighters said that by closing the door, the fire could not get the oxygen it needed to spread to the remaining areas of the house. The damage from the fire, smoke, and water distroyed absolutely everything. The vet bill alone for the dog in critical condition is in excess of $3,000. They are in desperate need of basic necessities, clothing, and everyday items to begin rebuilding all that was lost. My family has been through it all and has experienced so much loss and hardship! I am hoping to rally our friends, family, and community to come together and offer a small helping hand to get them back on their feet. They are so appreciative of absolutely anything at all and I pray they can try to put this truly devastating experience behind them and move on. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!!