Kaylie Turnage

Where do I even start. Who expects their life to literally blow up in smoke—and fire? That’s what myself, my three children (ages 9, 8, and 5), and our two emotional support animals are actively living through. On May 27th, 2026, our lives changed forever. Our home, our peace, our safe space became a total loss after everything was destroyed in what was a life changing house fire. I got my children out and saved our lives, but lost my car keys, my wallet, my phones, and essentially our entire livelihood within a matter of minutes. After connecting with Red Cross, the only help they were able to give us was counseling and enough money for 2-3 nights in a hotel. That’s it. I had just gotten a new job (after losing my previous job on March 31st) the day of the fire. I got the job at 2pm and we lost our home around 11:30pm. It happened after the kids were fast asleep. I never thought I’d be getting one step forward only to be thrown 100 steps back that night. But here we are. I’ve been doing everything alone for over four years as a single mom. Their father isn’t in the picture, and I have absolutely zero connections in Washington state. All of my family is in California or on the East Coast. With the possibility of facing homelessness and exhausting other possible routes (shelters, hotels, etc.), I’m left with my pride at my feet and my clothes on my back. I am blessed to have my kids’ lives saved, nonetheless. But we need to rebuild our life, and I’m at a point where, for once, I’m certain I can’t do this alone. My family and I appreciate any support you’re able to offer at this time. My goal is to get us into a new home and replace all we have lost—so my children can return to school, I can start my job, and continue to provide for my family like I always have, and attempt to return them to a “normal” environment. Even though I don’t think anything will ever be normal for us again, at the very least, we’re hoping for stable.