PITTSBURGH — A family is now homeless after their mobile home caught fire in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood just after midnight Sunday.
This comes after they had just gotten back on their feet from being homeless for eight months prior. The American Red Cross is assisting the two adults and four children.
The home, on Carrick Avenue at the intersection of Hopeland Street, had extensive damage to the left side, a hole in the roof and broken windows. The residents said the structure is a total loss, with fire damage throughout the interior.
According to fire firefighters, the flames spread in the attic of the home before spreading to other locations. There were reports of heavy fire when firefighters responded.
Everyone inside got out safely.
Sara Skees and her husband Edward Johnson had lived there with their four young children for only a year. They lost everything in the fire.
“It was the scariest thing in my life,” Skees said, who was home with her two daughters when she noticed a cloud of smoke in the bedroom. “When I opened the door, I added oxygen to it and it blew up in my face it went boom. And the windows busted out and it was on fire with our our air conditioner unit, we have one of those portable ones.”
Skees said she grabbed the children and ran outside, but couldn’t call 911 because her cell phone was dead. She knocked on a neighbor’s door but no one answered.
Then out of nowhere, a volunteer fireman drove by and stopped to help.
“He heard me screaming, me and my daughters screaming and he called and then that’s when the fire department showed up,” Skees said.
Meanwhile, her husband was on his way home from a Steelers game with their two boys when he got a frantic call from Sarah.
“I just couldn’t believe it. It’s like a dream. I just want to wake up from it,” Johnson said.
Unfortunately the family does not have renters’ insurance and has to start from scratch after just getting back on their feet.
“You know we just moved into that house, you know it’s hard. What we was doing trying to make a way for our family and I just saw everything go downhill,” Johnson said.
For now, the Johnson family is staying with relatives in Carnegie.
Meantime, Skees is forever grateful to the volunteer fireman.
“Thank you very much thank you very much for helping us in our time of need. We’re very grateful,” she said.
It is not yet known what caused the fire.
If you’d like to help the family, a GoFundMe page has been set up.
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