A Detroit father was devastated by the loss of his home and work vehicle to a fire.
“I put my family first. I put every dollar I had into this house. There’s a lot of stuff that I want, but I prioritize for my family,” the as-yet unnamed Detroit man told FOX 2’s Erika Erickson, visible overcome with emotion as he stood before the cinders of his family’s home. “Every dollar. Every dollar I get I put into my house, and I take care of my kids. It’s devastating for me.”
In addition to his house, the Detroiter’s work truck was also destroyed, removing a vital source of income. To add to the heartbreak, the family dog also perished in the blaze.
A $100,000 GoFundMe was started by Evony Mabone, of unknown relation to the family:
Hard working father of 5 home burned to ground after being set ablaze on Thursday morning. Family dog was lost in fire. Father purchased home from land bank for his family an was working day an night on home. Home was a few weeks away from being habitable so that he could obtain home insurance. This is beyond heart breaking to receive a call that your home you invested blood, sweat, and tears in literally was no more.
Anything can help
Within 24 hours, it has already surged past the $100,000 goal. As of the time of this writing, over $400,000 has been raised by over 16,000 Americans to help the family recover. In an update video posted by Erickson, the father of five was emotional for a very different reason.
UPDATE!! MORE TO COME!! pic.twitter.com/p1FlExISUj
— Erika Erickson (@FOX2Erika) June 5, 2020
“I was just devastated, standing in front of nothing. And in under 24 hours, [unclear] can be replaced… I’m just trying not to cry,” he said, pausing. “But it’s happy tears,” Erickson asked. “Yeah,” he answered, “everything is happy tears now.”
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