SEMINOLE COUNTY,Fla. – A firefighters’ union in Longwood and the mayor are working to get results and help a mother who lost everything in a fire just before Christmas.
Hillary Bitton’s home on East Palmetto Avenue caught fire back on Dec. 16. The cause of the fire hasn’t been released, but Bitton told News 6 she lost her wedding pictures, her children’s birth pictures, fancy artwork and many more items that can’t be replaced.
“I had taken them out of the storage unit to put them someplace safe and that happened to be the room that caught fire,” said Bitton. “I lost everything, everything.”
Bitton told us her ceiling collapsed inside the home after the fire, but thankfully she and her 5 cats made it out safely. She and a friend lived at the home.
"I just want to go home, and that's really been the hardest part I can never go home again," said Bitton.
Longwood Local 3163, a firefighters’ union, along with Mayor Matt Morgan set up a Go-Fund-Me account with hopes of helping Bitton get back on her feet, especially since the fire happened during the holiday season.
“Mayor Morgan called me to thank our firefighters because he got so many positive calls/reports at how fast we got out to that fire once it was reported. He then brought up that many residents were asking how could they contribute food or clothing, and so we put our heads together, and we just felt this was the right thing to do," said Shelby Lovette from the firefighter’s union.
Hillary Bitton told News 6 she's so thankful. Right now, she's temporarily living with a family member.
“It’s going to help tremendously because I don’t have any transportation, and it’s going to help me get me in the right direction,” said Bitton.
If you’d like to donate to the Go-Fund-Me account to help Bitton, click here.