FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Eight people were left homeless after a house fire destroyed their home Saturday afternoon.
Lafrancis Staten and her fiancé Ralph show us around what used to be their new home.
They say the house was cozy, comfortable, and full of memories.
“These windows was starting to shatter out and all you could do was breakdown. Everything you own, everything that you were trying to build, just coming down right in front of your face,” Staten said.
Firefighters from three stations responded to the home at 413 Oakland Avenue in Florence around 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
When firefighters arrived at the fire, the house was fully engulfed with flames.
Staten’s fiancé Ralph was there when it all happened. He says the fire started small but quickly spread.
“I was just about to cook us something to eat. And I came around here to talk to my kids, they were outside playing and before I knew it my son said dad something is on fire. Then it was over for me,” mentioned Ralph.
Battalion Chief Steven McCormick said the fire started in the kitchen at the back left corner of the home and did not appear suspicious.
The family of eight had just moved into the home on Oakland Avenue two months ago. And the fire ravaged everything inside including many of their clothes that were still packed up in boxes and bags.
“But we didn’t even have time to unpack that stuff before it’s gone,” said Staten.
Staten said it was like watching your whole life burn up. But there was one thing that she is taking back with her that was left untouched by the fire, a photo album of her three kids she found hidden beneath her television.
“This is the only one when they were little. No more little baby pictures of them and that’s just the luck of our tv that I got this one,” explained Staten.
The American Red Cross is also assisting the family as they work to move forward.
