July 4 fire cost Royal Palm family nearly everything: 'All I could do was just stand in disbelief'
Alshea Moore is now trying to figure out where to live and how to recover. She was at home with her four kids that night when smoke began filling the attic, caused by an electrical fire right above their heads.
'All I could do was just stand, honestly, in disbelief, because the amount of smoke came from the roof,' Moore said, recalling the scene outside her home along OIiver Lane, where her family had lived for more than five years.
The first hint Moore got of trouble came that afternoon. She was at a party for her daughter's friend when one of her sons texted her to ask what was wrong with their air conditioning. When she got home, it was about 85 degrees inside.
'The landlord had just replaced the AC unit, probably within six months,' she said. So she called a neighbor with HVAC experience to see if a broken AC was the cause of the heat.
The unit was fine, but he noticed it was right below the attic. He went up and almost immediately climbed back down, eyes red and watering from smoke, telling Moore to call the fire department.
By the time Palm Beach County Fire Rescue arrived just before 8:30 p.m., she and her children were out of the house. Fire Rescue said nothing showed from the outside the home when, but inside, the home was wrecked.
After using thermal-imaging cameras to find the fire, firefighters cut holes in the ceiling to release the smoke and heat. By 9:02 p.m., the fire was out.
Nobody was hurt, but smoke and water damage ruined parts of the house, and Moore estimates that her family lost 85% of its belongings, including clothing and furniture.
Authorities had to disconnect all power in the house to prevent another fire. It left Moore and her children — D'Ari, 9; Jermarion, 18; Jermaih 19; and Tra'Niya, 22 — struggling to find a place to live.
Moore's longtime friend, Selina Ealey, started a GoFundMe.com effort to help the family. It had raised nearly $8,000 as of July 10. The money will go toward temporary shelter, food, clothing and basic household items for the family. Those interested in donating can go to GoFundMe.com and search for "Alshea Moore."
Other than donations, Moore is asking for prayers and any homeless shelters or organizations she can continue reaching out to for help.
'Prayers can go where we can't go,' said Moore, who said she has put her studies to become a nurse on hold after the fire. 'I'm just depending on the community to pull together and help.'
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: July 4 house fire cost Royal Palm Beach family nearly everything
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