‘We are starting fresh': Mom, 6 kids displaced after accidental fire destroys inside of their home

Yahoo

19-05-2025

GREEN VALLEY RANCH, Colo. (KDVR) — A mom and six of her kids are working to get back on their feet after an accidental fire destroyed and made the inside of their home unlivable.
'My brother told me he smelt something burning, so I went downstairs. It was a poof, a big fire,' said Victory Johnson, one of the kids inside the home when the fire started. 'My sister was screaming, and she tried to put out the fire, and I tried to put a bucket of water on it, but the fire wasn't going anywhere.'
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Victory told FOX31 she and her five siblings were inside the home and had been making some food when the fire started. She told us her mom had just run out for a quick errand a little before the fire started.
'I screamed for all the kids to get out the house so they all got out of the house,' Victory said. 'Then, my sister kept trying to put the fire out, she got the fire extinguisher to get it out and just kept running back in.'
Mom, Gloria Johnson, explained that she is thankful all of her kids made it out of the house, but her 16-year-old daughter did everything she could to try and stop the fire.
'I'm just thankful all my kids made it out and made it out alive,' Gloria said. 'My daughter did get burned on her leg and on her foot, and she did inhale some smoke as well.'
Gloria said she got the call from her kids about the fire and panicked.
'I got the call telling me, 'Mom, the house is on fire,'' Gloria said. 'You know people don't joke like that, but I thought no way, but it all happened so fast.'
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Gloria said she was right behind the firetrucks racing home. She said once she got outside the house, she realized how much damage had been done.
She has rented that home for 17 years and raised all of her kids there.
'I guess you think this will never happen to you,' Gloria said. 'You hear about fires, you see about fires, but you don't think it'll happen to you.'
Denver Fire confirmed with FOX31 that the house fire was incidental (meaning accidental) and started in the kitchen. Fire investigators also confirmed that one person, the 16-year-old daughter, was taken to a local hospital.
'This is our home, she was really trying to get the fire out, she was really trying to get the fire out,' Victory said.
The family is now displaced and since they are such a large family, she said they are all living in different locations until they can find a better spot. She explained they have had help from the Red Cross, but basically left the home with only the clothes on their backs.
'When you've lived somewhere for so many years, it's like, how do you start over, you know?' Gloria said.
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FOX31 walked inside the home and saw the entire inside destroyed and the fire and smoke damage carried even to the upstairs.
'Right now we are starting fresh, we will eventually need new housing, new furniture, things like that, but at this point everything can be replaced,' Gloria said. 'The most important part is we still have each other and even when I get down or get sad, I think we still have each other, I have my kids and everyone made it out alive.'
The family has started a GoFundMe to help raise money for clothes/furniture/new housing. If you'd like to help them out, you can by clicking on this link.
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