‘I gotta try to be strong for them’: Family of 5 displaced after house fire, seeks to rebuild
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- A family of five was displaced after a house fire destroyed their home Monday afternoon, leaving them separated as they search for a place to rebuild.
Jennifer Talley said her family looked out the back door and saw the fire coming up their back steps.
"We tried containing the fire the best we could, the fire department is only two blocks away," she said. "We tried to put water on it. It was just moving too fast, that's when I grabbed her (Talley's daughter) and our dog. I went out the front and called the police. He (Talley's Husband) stayed in the house and tried to contain it until it go too bad and it reached the front of the house."
Talley said when she saw the fire, she'd never been more scared in her life.
"I've never been in a fire at all. I never seen something move that fast," she said.
Since the fire, Talley's kids have been staying with other loved ones. She said she just wants her family to be together.
"We can't right now because a family of five, we all have to stay where we can. My older two kids are staying with friends or with family members," she said. "She (Talley's daughter) is staying with my in-laws or my parents. For the first two nights, me and him (Talley's Husband) slept in the backyard in the car just to keep an eye on stuff."
The hardest part for Talley has been losing everything and having her family being separated.
"I'm really thankful for all three of the kids' schools reaching out to us and doing what they can," Talley said. "Just not being together and losing everything we have...I gotta try to be strong for them and that's hard. When I know I can't help them right now," she said.
Talley and her husband are looking to find a three to four bedroom house to create a home-base, and bring her family back together.
She said the community has been reaching out to offer furniture, among other things. For now, she said the main goal is to find housing before moving on to the next steps.
"To where we can all be together again and with the people reaching out offering furniture and stuff, we greatly appreciate that," she said. "We just have nowhere to put that right now. Once we get into the home I know we can rebuild from that."
Talley said it feels good to see the community reaching out to help.
"To know they are good people out there that care. Especially when it's people that don't even know you," she said.
Talley is accepting monetary donations through Cash App at $Juicy2007J. She is also accepting clothing donations, as well as blankets, pillows and towels. She can be contacted through her Facebook page.
Clothing Donations:
- Mens shirts: 3XL, large, medium
- Mens Shorts/Sweats: 1 XL, large, medium
- Mens Shoes: 11, 10.5
- Mens Jeans: 36/34, 34/32
- Girls shirts in 5/6
- Girls shorts/pants: 5/6
- Girls shoes: Youth 11
- Women's scrubs XL
- Women's shirts XL
- Women's shorts/sweats: XL
- Women's shoes: 10
