Support Family Recovering from House Fire

Early Friday morning, around 12:20 a.m., our lives changed in an instant. Lightning struck the nursery, setting the house on fire. The flames spread quickly through the attic, and thick smoke filled the rooms until we couldn’t even see in front of us.

By some miracle, all three of us, along with our dogs, made it out safely. We sheltered in the truck as the rain poured down, watching the fire department work tirelessly after our new security system alerted them. They arrived within 10 minutes but had an incredibly difficult time getting the fire under control. By about 2:30 a.m., they confirmed it was out.

From there, we went to the ER to be checked over. My mom helped with Riley while my dad stayed at the house to meet the state fire marshal. The fire marshal confirmed it was caused by a lightning strike and told us all the electrical in the house was destroyed. At 6 a.m., we were discharged with a clean bill of health, including the new baby, who is still safely growing and healthy Inside mom.

When daylight came, we went back to try and salvage what we could. That’s when the reality hit. It was far worse than we imagined. ServePro (disaster recovery)came to assess the damage, and they believe the house and everything in it are a total loss. The kids’ things, Riley’s toys, her keepsakes… all gone.

We are heartbroken. Not just for ourselves, but for our children and the memories we’ve lost. We’re staying with my parents while we work with insurance, and we’ve been told it will be about a year before we can go home again.

We are so grateful for every kind word, prayer, and offer to help during this time. Right now, we don’t have space to store physical donations, but your love and encouragement truly mean the world to us. While we wait for insurance, we’re purchasing our essentials through Amazon, so if you feel called to lend a hand, that’s one way to do so. A warm meal, a card that makes us laugh, or anything to bring a smile to our faces is also deeply appreciated.