BERRYHILL, Okla. – A Berryhill family is trying to get up after losing everything in a house fire.
“It’s not something you’d expect to happen,” Julia said. I think we are still in shock.”
Julia and Jacob moved into their rental home just a few weeks ago, just before Christmas.
“It’s like my little dream home in Berryhill,” says Julia. And I’m glad we got to spend a Christmas there because it was a beautiful Christmas, but I’m not ready to leave it yet.”
It was their last Christmas in the house. Jacob was stacking the shelves around 10:30 p.m. Thursday when he noticed a burning smell and thought the dryer was broken.
“I opened the garage door and it wasn’t the dryer,” Jacob said, “The garage was on fire.”
Jacob was able to get himself, their son, and their dog out. Julia was not at home at the time. Sadly, their cat died in the fire.
Jacob said the fire department believes an electrical problem in the garage caused it. The garage stored many of their possessions when they moved in.
Julia said: “Walking through the house today looked like an apocalyptic scene and it was so sad, like there was nothing left, ‘Everything is destroyed.
The Clarys are not alone in their loss.
The American Red Cross in Oklahoma says that just a week after 2022, it has responded to 50 house fires. At the current rate, the Red Cross says it could see fire response in the state increase by 60% this year.
“We have more people at home using space heaters, turning on those heaters for the first time, just to try,” said Linda Medford, preparedness program manager for the American Red Cross in Oklahoma. try to warm up. to the power cord, or extension cord, not to the extension cord. “
The Red Cross suggests testing your smoke alarms and replacing them if they’re 10 years old or older, making sure you have an escape plan and, in the kitchen, moving flammable items out of the way. a kitchen.
Medford says: “Store everything, curtains, bedding, don’t put heaters next to the bed.
Meanwhile, Jacob and Julia start all over again. If you want to help, you can donate to GoFundMe for them here.
The Red Cross is also looking for volunteers. You can find more information here.
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