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Omaha, NE (KPTM ) — An apartment fire left a family of five with nothing. Their pets, Christmas presents, and all the things you need to live gone.
Now the single dad is working to repair life for his young children, even after his family was homeless two years ago.
“I just remember telling them ‘Get out now!'” said Jeff Mellor.
On the morning of January 1st, his apartment near 38th and Farnam caught on fire; with him, his four children and one of their friends inside.
“It was very confusing at first because of the smoke alarms went off, which isn’t the first time because it’s happened for other reasons, occasionally a cooking mishap.”
But this time was a different story; he noticed smoke and immediately opened the windows thinking it would help air out his apartment. After the air hit the fire, it only made things worse.
“It just accelerated it all the more to where I couldn’t even be in the room.”
According to Omaha Fire, an overloaded electrical circuit started the fire.
Mellor managed to get his children out safely, but several animals inside didn’t make it. Mellor said the accident has taken a toll on his family and they are still living with it every day.
He also stated his family was homeless until they moved in two years ago. Thursday afternoon, he stood in his blacked apartment with almost everything destroyed.
“I am grateful that everyone is okay, it just still is a big bite out of my life, you know?”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with expenses for clothes, food and house supplies.
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