Sandy family loses almost everything in house fire
By Jed Boal; Jed Boal Deseret News | |
Proquest LLC |
By
They have no renters insurance. All they have are their cars and the clothes on their backs.
"I was scared to death,"
Chukes said he was watching TV in the basement with his 2-year- old son when the electrical fire started in the attic.
"Smoke was gagging me, and I was wondering whether we were going to make it out," he said.
Eight people lived in the rented home at
When the fire started around
"Daddy, something stinks," Chukes said his son told him.
Chukes opened the basement door, and the fire started to spread quickly.
"There was smoke everywhere," he said, "so I hit the ground with my son and crawled up the steps and got out the front door."
They escaped to the front lawn.
"The fire just came out - boom - and blew all the front windows out," Chukes said.
Flames leaped 20 feet into the air, he said, and the heat of the blaze singed nearby trees and wilted a plastic fence.
"Orange flames were just barreling out, coming out like crazy," Chukes said.
The
"The little money we have, we used to buy socks and T-shirts," Houston said.
Houston had lived in the home 15 years, and his daughter was raising her 3-year-old son there.
"I rented that long, but it was like it was my house," he said.
Houston was emotional during his interview in front of the boarded-up house. As his voice trailed off and his eyes teared up, Houston said he struggles with the stress of losing everything.
"They kind of depend on me. I'm the dad," he said.
The older cousins have tried to explain to the young boys why they can't go back in the home.
"Nothing is salvageable in the house," Chukes said.
However, they said they are thankful that no one was hurt in the fire.
A fund has been set up on behalf of the family for cash donations at
Email: [email protected]
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