KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City family is picking up the pieces after a fire destroyed their home Thursday afternoon.
Summer Marshall, her 4-year-old son, two other family members and seven pets have been displaced. Marshall and her son, Roxas, are staying at a nearby hotel as insurance gets worked out in the next week.
“It started in the fireplace, and it was like a normal fire. So you know, we didn't think anything was going on,” Marshall said. “We didn’t even know there was a fire until all the neighbors were banging on the door saying, 'There’s a fire in your house.'”
The flames started in the fireplace and caused their chimney to catch on fire from the outside. Marshall is devastated to lose the only home she and her son ever knew.
As a mom, there has been no time to grieve.
“It’s hard, it’s hard,” Marshall said. “It’s hard because I have him, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do. This has been home for a really long time now.”
Her biggest fear is being in and out of temporary homes. Even at 4 years old, Roxas understands the severity of the situation.
“The fire got bigger, and the house got destroyed,” Roxas said. "I miss my house very much. I was sad."
As the family fights to bounce back, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help. All the money will go toward replacing what was lost and rebuilding what they can.
“I would like to stay here … I would,” Marshall said.
