The sound of the smoke detector rings throughout the entire house, they scramble out of bed, and the Neal family rushes out of the house. Flames engulf their home as they make it to safety. The unthinkable occurred Jan. 2, 2012 at 5:45 a.m. in the Neal’s home.
Junior Tayleah Neal was sound asleep until her parents woke her suddenly. With no time to think, she grabbed a blanket and ran out of the house.
“My first thought was to get out of the house,” she said.
The fire started in the attic by an unknown cause. The foundation of the house remained untouched, but the ceiling and the interior of the house was destroyed. Some pictures and her siblings’ clothes were salvaged, but her parents’ wardrobe was gone.
They are now staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites.
The rebuilding process is scheduled to start in the next few weeks.
The Neal family didn’t have an escape plan, but they are planning to discuss preventions for their new home.
“We’re going to put fire detectors in our attic because that’s where it happened,” said Neal.
Losing a home is devastating, and watching it happen is just as tragic. Other students, like Neal, have shared in this loss and in the process of rebuilding.
Junior Mariella Camposeo had a similar experience April 18, 2009 at 11 p.m. She was also asleep at home.
“My older brother got everyone out, and we left fast,” said Camposeo.
Nearly 74 percent of their belongings were gone, but her room remained intact. They were able to save their baby belongings and a lot of pictures.
That night, she and her family stayed down the street at her boyfriend’s house. She ended up staying with junior Morgan Story while her family stayed at a hotel. For six months in the summer her family lived in a 26-foot camper at Hickory Creek by Beaver Lake.
The rebuilding took place in the same location. The old house was knocked down and the new house was built in the same lot.
“The worst part was not having a place to call home and having no privacy,” she said.
Senior Sophie Sundara also experienced the same loss. She was in class at school when her mom called with the news of the fire. She didn’t believe what she was being told.
“I asked if she was joking. I was in shock,” Sundara said. “I told my friends and started crying.”
On Sept. 9, 2008, her uncle was taking a nap and didn’t hear the smoke detectors. Their local mailman saw the flames and smoke coming from the house and knocked on the door, waking her uncle and getting him to safety.
Fortunately, the fire didn’t destroy a lot. They was more than happy that all of the their photo albums were recovered. The family did not rebuild the house and stayed in the Holiday Inn for three days.
“It was really hard on our family,” said Sundara. “We lost the home I had been in since I was three. I liked that house.”
The rebuilding process can be the hardest part of a house fire, with an unstable place to live, and losing the things that mean the most. Support from friends and peers helps with coping.
“I was surprised at how many people helped,” said Neal. “It feels good knowing that people care.”