FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A family of eight has been left without a place to call home after a fire ignited in a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood over the weekend.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a house on fire along the 1100 block of Northwest 15th Street, near 12th Terrace, just before 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Firefighters arrived at the scene in about three minutes to find flames and heavy smoke billowing from one side of the single family home.
Lakesha Gary, a family member, said that the damage to her home was severe.
“It’s overwhelming. Really bad water damage and smoke damage,” she said.
Gary said that those inside the home tried to smother the fire with a garden hose but were unsuccessful.
“Boyfriend was in the kitchen, and by the time he came out and pushed the door open to the porch, the flames ignited in the room, and the whole backside of the house is completely burnt,” said Gary.
The family said that a candle is believed to have sparked the fire, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“The worst part about it is that there is nothing we can do about it. We tried with the hose, and it just burned. We’re just helpless, hopeless, and just couldn’t get it out,” said a family member.
Crews had to get on the roof of the residence to help get the fire under control. They were able to knock down the body of the fire in about 20 minutes.
The eight people who were inside the house were able to get out safely, but they have been left with nowhere to go and the extensive damage inside their home, has left them with nothing, no clothes and no personal items — just what they have on their back.
“We’re thankful to God that physically we’re all OK, but emotionally and mentally, to walk through our house and see everything completely destroyed is heartbreaking,” said Gary.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross have assisted the family by providing a hotel stay for the next two nights, but the family said while their house was insured, they don’t know where they’re going to go until they are reimbursed.
The impacted family has set up a GoFundMe page. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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