The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A WEEK after a devastating fire ravaged her family’s home, Briel Seymour said she is still struggling to process the loss as her nine-member family remains separated and staying with relatives.

The blaze, which tore through their Golden Gates home on May 20, reduced years of memories and has turned their lives upside down.

Recalling the tragedy, Ms Seymour remembered receiving a frantic call from her mother urging her to come home because the house was on fire.

At first, Ms Seymour refused to believe the fire was real.

However, the sight of red flames, thick dark smoke, and dust made it clear the scene was not a dream.

“I went numb. I just didn’t understand, what you mean I don’t have no house no more. I started crying.”

Videos shared with The Tribune captured the chaotic scenes as firefighters battled the engulfing flames while residents paced in disbelief.

In another video, a woman could be heard screaming for someone to alert the family about the fire.

Ms Seymour’s youngest sister was inside at the time, but she managed to escape safely.

The family’s belongings, however, could not be saved. Ms Seymour said the only item that survived was a family portrait.

“From what you could have seen when you got there, there was no more house.  It was just basically the structure. Everything inside the house was already damaged and gone, so it was just the structure of the house left.”

Taking a deep sigh, Ms Seymour said if she could have saved anything, it would have been the ultrasound photo of the baby she lost in a miscarriage.

She said the photo was the only thing she had left to remember her son.

Since the fire, the family has been adjusting to a new normal while staying with different relatives.

Ms Seymour said everyone is coping in their own way. For her, she sometimes cries herself to sleep, as she did on the first night after the fire.

“I’m not waking up at my house,” she stressed. “I’m used to be in my own house, waking up in the comfort of my own house.”

Ms Seymour said she is unsure whether her family will rebuild the old home or move into a new one. For now, they are trying to take things one day at a time.

Those wishing to assist can contact them at 421-6376.

Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.