Lake Park family displaced by fire before first day of school
LAKE PARK, Fla. (CBS12) — A family of five are left without a home just hours before the first day of school after a fire ignited inside their home Sunday night.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to reports of a fire on the 400 block of Silver Beach Road in Lake Park at 8:00 p.m.
Flames were shooting out of the front door by the time firefighters arrived, but they were able to extinguish the fire.
Three people were inside the home at the time of the fire, but everyone made it out safely.
Holding back tears, 21-year-old Dede Gabriel thanks God her mother and two youngest siblings are alive.
She had just purchased new clothes and school supplies for her brothers and sisters.
However, her 6-year-old, 13-year-old and a 17-year-old siblings will not have supplies for the first day of school come Monday morning.
Neighbor and family friend Necola Shelly ran outside after she heard loud screams.
“She literally picked her sister up, ran outside, and knocked on the neighbor’s door and made them aware come outside because the house is on fire," she said. "Through all that trauma, she still managed to be a blessing to everybody else."
The family is staying with relatives.
Gabriel's siblings are students at Lake Park Elementary School, H.L. Walkins Middle School and Palm Beach Gardens High School.
Friends are working on a crowdfunding page to help the family rebuild their lives.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Stay with CBS 12 for updates.
