‘We are starting fresh': Mom, 6 kids displaced after accidental fire destroys inside of their home
'My brother told me he smelt something burning, so I went downstairs. It was a poof, a big fire,' said Victory Johnson, one of the kids inside the home when the fire started. 'My sister was screaming, and she tried to put out the fire, and I tried to put a bucket of water on it, but the fire wasn't going anywhere.'
Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV
Victory told FOX31 she and her five siblings were inside the home and had been making some food when the fire started. She told us her mom had just run out for a quick errand a little before the fire started.
'I screamed for all the kids to get out the house so they all got out of the house,' Victory said. 'Then, my sister kept trying to put the fire out, she got the fire extinguisher to get it out and just kept running back in.'
Mom, Gloria Johnson, explained that she is thankful all of her kids made it out of the house, but her 16-year-old daughter did everything she could to try and stop the fire.
'I'm just thankful all my kids made it out and made it out alive,' Gloria said. 'My daughter did get burned on her leg and on her foot, and she did inhale some smoke as well.'
Gloria said she got the call from her kids about the fire and panicked.
'I got the call telling me, 'Mom, the house is on fire,'' Gloria said. 'You know people don't joke like that, but I thought no way, but it all happened so fast.'
Tornadoes touchdown in NE Colorado, egg-sized hail reported: Photos, NWS data
Gloria said she was right behind the firetrucks racing home. She said once she got outside the house, she realized how much damage had been done.
She has rented that home for 17 years and raised all of her kids there.
'I guess you think this will never happen to you,' Gloria said. 'You hear about fires, you see about fires, but you don't think it'll happen to you.'
Denver Fire confirmed with FOX31 that the house fire was incidental (meaning accidental) and started in the kitchen. Fire investigators also confirmed that one person, the 16-year-old daughter, was taken to a local hospital.
'This is our home, she was really trying to get the fire out, she was really trying to get the fire out,' Victory said.
The family is now displaced and since they are such a large family, she said they are all living in different locations until they can find a better spot. She explained they have had help from the Red Cross, but basically left the home with only the clothes on their backs.
'When you've lived somewhere for so many years, it's like, how do you start over, you know?' Gloria said.
10 years later: Deadly shooting of Windsor cyclist John Jacoby still not solved
FOX31 walked inside the home and saw the entire inside destroyed and the fire and smoke damage carried even to the upstairs.
'Right now we are starting fresh, we will eventually need new housing, new furniture, things like that, but at this point everything can be replaced,' Gloria said. 'The most important part is we still have each other and even when I get down or get sad, I think we still have each other, I have my kids and everyone made it out alive.'
The family has started a GoFundMe to help raise money for clothes/furniture/new housing. If you'd like to help them out, you can by clicking on this link.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oak Park High School unveils Vietnam healing wall to honor fallen classmates
#KansasCity #news #Vietnam #VietnamWar #history Oak Park High School officially unveiled its 'Healing Wall' on Saturday, a memorial honoring alumni who served in the Vietnam War, including 12 who never returned home. The wall is the result of a three-year effort by Vietnam veteran Cary Marshall, a member of Oak Park's Class of 1967, who envisioned a permanent tribute to fellow classmates who served. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Catholic social media coordinator delivers pizza to pope: 'His face lit up'
Madeline Daley, a Catholic social media coordinator from Cincinnati, Ohio, described to Fox News Digital how she managed to deliver a pie from Aurelio's Pizza to Pope Leo XIV — even after it briefly wound up in the trash.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Woman in Fight with Roommate Over Whether a Home Needs Both a Roomba and a Regular Vacuum
'Most of the time, it just bonks around like a lost toddler at IKEA until someone takes pity on it and turns it around,' the woman saidNEED TO KNOW A woman moved into a shared apartment with two roommates who agreed to share cleaning responsibilities However, she was left unimpressed when one of her roommates began using a Roomba instead of a regular vacuum cleaner 'It doesn't have a hose, can't clean corners or high surfaces, and doesn't work for any kind of mess,' she saidA woman who recently moved into an apartment in Boston with three other PhD students is unsure if she 'overstepped' after buying a vacuum cleaner without discussing it first. On Monday, July 28, the woman explained in a post on Reddit's "Am I The A--hole" forum that she is living with two other women in their mid-twenties, whom she didn't know before moving in. She said they all discussed splitting up the responsibility of keeping the apartment clean prior to the arrangement. However, she was unaware that the vacuum one of her roommates would be bringing was a Roomba. The woman said robot vacuums are ideal for light maintenance if used frequently, but are unsuitable for vacuuming the entire apartment. 'It doesn't have a hose, can't clean corners or high surfaces, and doesn't work for any kind of mess,' she explained. Complaining about her roommate, the woman continued, 'She also only wants to run it every other week, which doesn't really keep up with the dust and dirt of three people. 'The Roomba also hasn't mapped the apartment well due to its infrequent use,' she said. 'Most of the time, it just bonks around like a lost toddler at IKEA until someone takes pity on it and turns it around.' The woman said that when she tried to discuss her concerns with her roommate, the Roomba owner disagreed on the need to have a separate regular vacuum cleaner. In an attempt to avoid an argument, the woman said she bought her own regular vacuum that had a bag and an allergy filter to use in her bedroom and shared areas. 'When I brought it home, she was annoyed and said I had gone behind her back and broken our agreement,' the woman said of her roommate. 'I didn't see it that way, and shared that I'm not asking anyone else to use it or share costs. I just wanted to be able to clean the apartment to a level that works for me." 'Our other roommate said she doesn't really have a preference and doesn't care, so it seems like she is currently steering clear of this,' she continued. 'There's no blame or fault to be found in her at all; I totally understand why she might want to stay neutral." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'I don't want to be the problem roommate, but now I'm wondering if I overstepped. AITA [am I the a--hole?],' the woman asked. Responses to the post reassured the woman that her views on the Roomba were fair. One person said her roommate was 'acting like a child,' while another argued there should be no issue with the addition of the vacuum because the Roomba can still be used. 'This is absurd. You are allowed to buy whatever you want for your shared apartment. Roommate sounds like a problem now and future,' someone else chimed in. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
