WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. — A family of five in Hernando County is looking for a new place to live after a fire broke out in their home last week.
- Annunziato family not at home when fire started
- Fire Rescue officials say fire started by electrical failure
- More Hernando County stories
“We pulled up and they were all in our yard. The smoke was just coming from our bedroom,” Nicole Annunziato said, recalling the first moment she saw her home on fire.
Luckily, none of Annunziato’s family, including her three kids from just ten weeks to four years old, were home when the fire broke out.
While many of their belongings were destroyed by the fire, Annunziato said they’ve been able to save quite a few things, like some of the kids' clothes and personal mementos.
For that Annunziato credits their neighbors, who she said put out some of the fire before crews arrived. She called their efforts "lifesaving."
“We try to get to save at least whatever we can for the most part and it’s less traumatizing for the kids to see in the long run,” she explained.
Now Annunziato and her family are in a hotel until they can find a new place to call home.
“We’ve had a lot of support from friends and family, so we’re hanging in there as best as possible," she said. "I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have that."
According to Hernando County Fire Rescue, the fire started due to an electrical failure from a rechargeable flashlight plugged into a power strip.
A GoFundMe campaign has started on behalf of Annunziato and her family to help them in their recovery. To learn more or to aid with a donation, visit https://www.gofundme.com/6f2uw-family-lost-everything-in-a-fire.
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