Electrical problems in a home can trigger short circuits and fires capable of destroying a house in a matter of minutes. Although in many cases these incidents are related to installation failures or overloads, sometimes the origin is completely unexpected. That’s what happened to a Florida family, whose home was reduced to ashes by a squirrel that chewed through the attic wiring.
The night of the fire, everyone was sleeping when they began to notice that something was wrong. “We were all asleep. I heard the switch in the back trip. So I got up to see what the noise was and I heard a creaking noise in the attic, and I smelled electricity. So I woke them all up and left the house,” said the father, in statements collected by WMBB.
The family’s reaction was quick; They were able to wake up their children to leave the house with their dog and cat. “It was very hectic. We were going a mile an hour, trying to gather everything, wake everyone up and get them out,” the mother explained about those tense minutes.
A fire that destroyed everything
Firefighters responded to the call and managed to contain the flames, but the fire had already caused irreparable damage. The roof suffered a partial collapse and practically all his belongings were destroyed.
After inspecting the home, emergency services told them what the origin of the fire had been. “They said a squirrel got into the attic and chewed on some wires and caused a short circuit, and that’s what started the fire,” the father explained.
Although the family managed to escape unscathed, they now face the challenge of rebuilding their lives from scratch. Without a home and without basic objects, they have launched a campaign to raise funds to cover their most urgent needs.
“We mainly need donations for the GoFundMe account, if that’s okay. And maybe some furniture or kitchen items,” they noted.