Nov 23, 2007 8:16 pm US/Central
10 Homeless After Thanksgiving Day Fire In Mpls.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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The Red Cross is helping with food, clothing and motel rooms through the weekend for everyone, including Cinnamon, the dog, who's sick from inhaling smoke.
CBS
A North Minneapolis family is making the best of a holiday nightmare after a fire robbed them of their Thanksgiving celebration and left 10 people homeless.
They were about to have dinner on Thursday when a fire started in a storage room.
"It used to be a happy day with family get together," said 7-year-old Preston, who remembers happier holidays with cousins, aunts and grandma's cooking. "It ruined the whole thing and we couldn't eat nothing."
The fire started just as Grandma was about to serve dinner.
"I was cooking ribs, getting ready to put the barbecue sauce on," said Grandma Bonnie Anderson, who had most of her meal for 12 already on the table when she smelled smoke behind her in a storage room and saw flames.
"I came back here and looked, I tried to put it out, but I couldn't so I ran and got the kids," said Anderson.
The fire burned the kids' toys, school clothes, and shoes while hot smoke swept through the entire house.
"We all had to run out because all the smoke was on top of the roof. And we had to hurry up because smoke got up in our nose," said 6-year-old Lachrisha.
The family packed into a friend's house the day after Thanksgiving. The Red Cross is helping with food, clothing and motel rooms through the weekend for everyone, including Cinnamon, the dog, who's sick from inhaling smoke.
"It's really painful and hurt, that we had to go through this at a time like this of year," said Danielle Taylor.
No one knows when they'll be able to go back home, but they're determined to save the holidays.
At this point, investigators think a child playing with a lighter might have started the fire.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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