A couple from Herculaneum, Missouri, has managed to find a bit of hope after a devastating fire destroyed their home.
On the morning of Nov. 12, a garage fire broke out at Danielle Blankenship’s home in the 100 block of Hammond Drive, Herculaneum Fire Chief Kevin Baker told First Alert 4. Blankenship said she woke up to the smell of smoke and, after opening the door to the garage and seeing the fire, she immediately grabbed her two young children and rushed outside to call 911.
By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had spread from the garage to the rest of the house and even reached the neighboring home. Crews were able to bring the fire under control in about an hour.
According to the Herculaneum Fire Department, everyone from both homes was safely evacuated without injury. However, three of the family’s cats died in the fire and two others are still missing.
“We appreciate all the help from our mutual aid assistance,” Baker told Leader Publications, adding that the cause of the fire was still under investigation. “Our police department did a great job and showed quick thinking on evaluating neighbors.”
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In the days that followed, Blankenship and her husband returned to the burned-out structure to sift through the debris of what had once been their home. Amid the heartbreak of sorting through ashes and twisted metal, they were stunned to discover that a few precious mementos from their wedding had survived.
“We were lucky,” Blankenship said. “We found our wedding rings, our photo albums … it’s really been miraculous what things have survived. Because when you look at this, it looks like nothing. It looks like there would be absolutely nothing.”
Those small miracles have been a source of comfort, but the couple has also had to face an unexpected hardship: looters.
“If it wasn’t bad enough, we’ve got people trying to take what little we have left,” Blankenship said. “It’s just putting salt in wounds.”
