Our neighbors became homeless during the early morning hours of December 17, 2021. A fire broke out inside their home while they were asleep. Their fire alarms did not go off. The home filled with smoke and was quickly engulfed in flames in only a few terrifying minutes. They had barely enough time to flee of the dark smoke-filled house. The fire damaged their only car and ended up taking the life of their beloved cat. I asked my neighbor, Rebecca who lived there, to tell me what happened. She, her fiancé, their three-year-old son, the home’s elderly owner and her future mother-in-law, and her future brother-in-law, had barely escaped with their lives.
She told me that she heard her brother-in-law yelling “fire!”. It was pitch dark and the electricity was out. She tried to flee out of the back door, away from the smoke and heat, but it was jammed shut. She said, “I was trying to call 911. I was trying to get the latch off the back door to get it open.” While she was struggling with the door, with her child and her fiancé just behind her, the heat and smoke became more intense and it was hard to breathe. After finally getting the door open she said, “I felt the black smoke just billowing over my head as it was rushing out of the house.” They were separated from the other family members by flames. Only after getting out did she find out that her fiancé’s elderly mother was able to get out of the house through a side door off the kitchen. And, her fiancé’s older brother, who had discovered the fire and had woken everybody up–saving their lives–had barely escaped through the front door. After the fire department put out the fire, it re-ignited, filling our street with the sounds of fire trucks, sirens, and the smell of a burning house all over again.
The fire marshals officially listed the cause of their house fire as “undetermined”. It could have been the old wiring that had not been upgraded since the 1970s. Or, it could have been an old extension cord or an old space heater. And, the fire alarms had not been updated and checked in a long time. If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of her future brother-in-law who got everyone up that night, they may have never woken up.
“This could happen to anybody,” she said.
I asked her if she and her fiancé had any advice to give after losing their home to a house fire. Here are a few words of wisdom that they had to learn the hard way:
- “Make sure your smoke detectors are working,” were her first words of advice. And, if they don’t replace them. Check them each year to make sure they work.
- “Buy new fire extinguishers.” They did have a fire extinguisher in the house, but it was over 20 years old. She added, “If it wasn’t for someone being awake that night, we would not have woken up.”
- “Throw out all of your old electrical cords. Modernize your extension electrical cords as well as your fire alarms and fire extinguishers,” her fiancé said.
- “Have an escape plan. Have fire drills. Especially if you have children,” she said. She added, “If there is a plan the family has together, then you have more success getting out unharmed.”
- She recommended having a disaster-ready bag with important documents in it. She said, “Have ‘go bags’. You never know when a disaster is gonna strike…”
- “Make sure that you’re current on your insurance payments. Make sure you have a good policy. Some of them cover only the very minimum,” she said. “When the time comes you may not get enough to rebuild your house,” she added.
According to the American Red Cross statistics, most disasters are house fires. According to its website, “Each year, the Red Cross responds to an average of more than 60,000 disasters, the vast majority of which are home fires.” ** Within a couple of hours of the start of the fire, a Red Cross volunteer met with the family and gave them supplies and enough funds to stay in a local hotel until they get their insurance sorted out.
Since this house was in our neighborhood, and our neighbors knew this family personally, we knew that their need was real and urgent. KIRF donated a $500 Target gift card to the family so they could purchase things as they needed them. Since they had lost their home and a place to store things, she agreed that a gift card was the best option for their current and future needs.
And, the people in our neighborhood helped this family in large and small ways too. From a giant bake sale to raise money to help the family with immediate needs to another neighbor setting up a GoFundMe site to help this family and another neighbor just giving cash. One of our neighbors who helped this family said to me about our neighborhood, “It’s like a village. We help each other.”
Here is how you can help future families who lose their homes in a disaster:
Thank you,
Angela
Angela R. Kirwin, M.A.
Vice President
Kirwin International Relief Foundation
*She wished to be referred to by her middle name Rebecca for privacy.
** American Red Cross. 2022. “Take Action to Prevent Fires.” Accessed on December 28, 2021: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/prevent-home-fire.html
