Sarah Flemming walks around what used to be her home on Primrose Circle. A few neighbors run in and out, helping carry belongings.
For three years, Sarah, her boyfriend and children, lived in the light pink house. Now, after a raging overnight fire, it's a charred skeleton of what it used to be.
"I'm just trying to figure out the next step," she said. Her hands are black from picking through smoke covered items. "Birth certificates, tax returns, medical records, family pictures... it was all in here."
It was about midnight Friday when Flemming noticed that a fire had erupted in her home.
"I was sitting on the edge of the bed and noticed the window looked bright," she recalled. "When I pulled back the curtain there was a huge fireball."
Immediately, Flemming called 911 as she was waking up her kids. Within minutes, everyone made it safely out of the house, except for their black lab named Buck.
"I just stood there and watched as the house burnt down," Fleming said. "I feel like I watched a (expletive deleted) up movie."
Neighbors couldn't help but notice the flames as well.
"It was 12:02 a.m. when I noticed, and I ran right over," said neighbor Toby Hanna.
Hanna and fellow neighbors have already pitched in to help Flemming and the family get through the next couple days with a $100 Walmart giftcard.
"We're going to try and make it better," Hanna said.
The house may have been completely destroyed in the fire, although damages were still being assessed on Friday morning, a chief at Destin Fire Control District said. One car caught fire and another was damaged by heat.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Inside her room, Flemming tries to piece together some of her jewelry. A small, plastic piece of jewelry ironically made it unscathed. She was also able to recover the urn containing her grandmother’s ashes.
"This just feels like a weird relic of my life," she said looking around.
HOW TO HELP
Toby Hanna and fellow neighbors will be working to collect food and clothes to help Flemming and her family. If you would like to help, please call Hanna at 376-1370. The Red Cross is also assisting the family and arranged for temporary lodging.