A family is devastated after losing nearly everything after a fire consumed their home of over 20 years on Monday.
Although their house is now ash, and they’re struggling to make it by, the family says they stay thankful as the community has surrounded them with love and support.
“What’s important around Christmas time, it’s home and family,” said Michael Jasper, a son-in-law to the homeowner, Michael Ross. “Now we have family, that’s most important and we’re glad to have that.”
The Ross family home is black and boarded up while they figure out how to pull their lives back together. The family has been told they need to raise $75,000 to just begin the process of rebuilding their home from its current state.
“Destruction,” said Larissa Ross, who grew up in the home. “It’s like a war zone inside the house. I mean, I think half the house is caved in. The kitchen is melted..”
“I can’t even look at the house because there’s too many memories here,” Larissa Ross said. “I don’t even know what to do at this point. Other than to try and make sure that my parents have somewhere stable to stay.”
The Red Cross provided three nights in a hotel for the five displaced family members, two of whom are handicapped. After those few days, the family is on their own.
“It’s not handicap accessible where they’re staying right now,” Larissa Ross said.
Larissa Ross says the community has been generous donating about $7 thousand dollars to the GoFundMe and offering household items, but the family currently has nowhere to store it.
“We’ve had community people reach out to us,” Jasper Ross said. “It’s been awesome. If we can get that continued response, I’m sure we can make a large dent in this immense project.”