Chris & Sandra Burton

On Thursday morning, March 16th, our next-door neighbors, Chris and Sandra Burton, were at home asleep when their house caught fire. The flames spread very quickly to the second floor and into the attic and within minutes the smoke was overwhelming. By the time the fire was out, everything in the house had been destroyed. Their grandson Christopher (2) and brothers Jordon (18) and JaQuan (21), who are staying with the family, were there as well. They all got out of the house safely with their bulldog Ari, but sadly they lost all of their other pets - their 2 cats, Dexter and Grima, a lizard named Soba, and their new puppy Bailey - to the smoke and fire. Their sons Austin (25) and Kaulen (20) were at work at the time and their daughter Bryndis (14) was already at school.

That morning our little neighborhood rallied to get coats, blankets, and shoes for those that fled the house without them, but they are going to need a lot more support over the coming days, weeks and months as they try to rebuild their home and lives. The rebuilding process takes time and in addition to their immediate needs, they will need to buy groceries, clothes, shoes, socks, personal care items, laundry detergent, bed linens, towels… the list goes on. All of the things that we take for granted in our day-to-day lives will need to be replaced in the short term.

I have known this family for almost 10 years now and it’s difficult to overstate the impact that they have had on our lives and the lives of those around them. Just a few things I’ve heard about them from others since Thursday:

- “They are the type of neighbor that you would trust with your garage code just a week after moving in.”

- “They are the ones that would give you their last dime and the shirt off their back.”

- “It’s just so hard to fathom this type of loss happening to such amazing people.”

- “Chris would give a job to anyone that needed it and was willing to put in the work. He has been a great friend and mentor to so many.”

- “They always left the light on, so to speak, and were always willing to help those in need. Even at the expense of their own comfort.”

- “They will do anything for you and never ask for or expect anything in return.”

I think it’s time we gave back to them. I’ve lost count of the number of people - friends, family, neighbors, friends of friends, and strangers - that have asked what they can do to support the Burton family. ❤️ The simplest way to help is to donate here so they can quickly begin putting their lives back together.

Brothers Jordon (18) and JaQuan (21) also lost everything they had in the fire and will benefit from this GoFundMe page as well. If anyone knows of an affordable housing situation or advocacy group that can help them navigate this difficult time, please send a message through this page.