They lost everything in a fire that started by accident. Now the Miller family is doing the best they can to pick up the pieces and rebuild. They say, like most of us, they never thought it could happen to them.
“Went and grabbed my daughter from school, pulled up in the driveway about 3:00,” said Michelle Miller.
September 6th was just another day for Miller until she got home.
“It just kind of looked like a little dust storm in the backyard. But I thought well its dry no big deal,” said Miller.
If you’d like to help the family with the recovery process you can make a donation to “The Miller Family House Fire” at any branch of Bank of the West.
The dust storm turned out to be a fire that broke out on the back deck of her house on N. 47th Avenue.
“It's kind of humbling to see how fast everything can go up,” said Miller.
Within minutes, the whole back of the house was engulfed.
“After 23 years of living here now we have an empty shell of a house,” said Miller.
Two weeks later she took WOWT through her house to show the damage. Her 14-year-old daughter’s room is a total loss. Her bedroom was also damaged, as was the bathroom, toy room and kitchen.
Now her family’s life is stocked in boxes, many of which will be thrown away due to damage.
“It’s unfathomable until, I don't know, I have no clue, and it’s unreal,” said Miller.
That unreal feeling was quickly replaced with gratitude.
“Had we been at work when this happened, we work overnights, and they don't think that they would have made it out of the room before the smoke overcame them,” said Miller.
She is also grateful that the cat was still in the basement when they got to go into the house the night of the fire. The family dog Sara also survived. She managed to escape from the basement.
“She ended up getting singed on the back half, I think she was able to run out the back,” said Miller.
After losing so much, they still have each other.
Miller says you always run through scenarios in your head about what would you take in an emergency. In the moment she thought to grab her purse and her keys. Her daughter grabbed her cell phone. The family is currently living in a hotel. They expect to be there for four to six months.
If you’d like to help the family with the recovery process you can make a donation to “The Miller Family House Fire” at any branch of Bank of the West.
