VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A family in the New Smyrna Beach area is spending the holiday season picking up the pieces after their home burned down right before Thanksgiving.
The property, just off State Route 44 in Samsula, is now a pile of rubble.
Community members, however, are stepping in, raising money and collecting goods to get them back on their feet.
Samantha Thorne told News 6 that nine of her family members have lived on the property off South Samsula Drive for almost 30 years.
“There’s a big dirt square where the houses were,” she said, “I’m hoping once all of the metal is moved, there is some stuff salvageable.”
Thorne said two houses, photos, documents, cars and the family’s two dogs are gone.
The Volusia County Professional Firefighters Association posted photos of the fire on November 22, the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Thorne said investigators believe it was an electrical fire, and it took two days to put the flames out.
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Part of the family is now staying with other relatives, and the others are in a hotel.
“I have a friend coming with a machine, but we definitely need more Dumpsters,” said Ronald Mitchell, another family member. “We’re retired, so our funds are kind of limited.”
They said their hope is to have somewhere to go all together as a holiday miracle.
“My mom’s fighting cancer. We want to get her treatment as quick as I can, but we can’t easily do that in a hotel, going back and forth, and just not knowing where we’re going to live,” Thorne said.
Community members who heard about the fire are raising money via GoFundMe and hosting drives to help get them clothes and personal items.
“It’s overwhelming,” Thorne said. “We’re very grateful and very blessed and I can’t thank everyone enough for standing behind us and just giving a helping hand.”