A St. Landry Parish family is out of their home after a fire last week.
It happened Jan. 3. Firefighters say it was an electrical fire that spread throughout the home off of Highway 742 in Opelousas.
It was the family’s quick action that helped them all escape safely.
Beneath the debris and ashes, the signs of a family movie night remain inside Krystle Richard’s home.
Richard says she and her four boys were all sleeping in the living room when she suddenly woke up to smoke and flames at about 3:40 a.m.
“I rolled over, started coughing, and then I realized that the house was on fire. The ceiling was up in flames.
Richard immediately woke everyone up, but the path to get out wasn’t easy.
“It was flames and fire,” Richard said. “I wanted to make sure they were all safe. If that would’ve meant me losing my life to get them out of that house, that’s what I was going do. I was going to make sure they were all out.”
Once they reached the door, Richard says she was in shock.
“I panicked and couldn’t open the front door,” Richard said. “My youngest son was able to open the door. He stepped in front of me and was like, ‘Mom, I got it’. He unlocked the door, and we were able to get out.”
Now, the family is forced to live in a hotel as they try to get back to a sense of normalcy.
“The kids lost everything they received for Christmas,” Richard said. “All their gifts. We’ve been through a lot of obstacles as a young family, but I feel like through all of this, God is always going to give us beauty for our ashes.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe account. Click here if you’d like to make a donation.
The family is also is need of the following clothing sizes below:
Women’s size 20 in pants, X Large shirt
Boys size 38 in pants, Large Shirt
Boys size 32 in pants, Medium Shirt
Boys size 28 in pants, Small Shirt
Boys size 30 pants , Medium shirt
