A Saraland family of nine is starting over after a fire tore through their home Friday morning, destroying nearly everything they owned.
Michael Rowell said a smoke alarm woke him as flames spread through the house. “I heard the smoke alarm going off so when I come out of the bedroom there were flames about 5 or 6 feet across the ceiling coming out of the garage into the kitchen,” Rowell recalled. “I started shouting for all the kids to get up and get out of the house.”
The family made it out safely — and just in time. Within about two minutes of their escape, the home was completely engulfed in flames.
“Nothing Left”
Rowell said the family lost nearly all of their belongings. “All of our clothes are gone, all of our personal items are gone,” he said. His wife, Victoria Rowell, said the couple’s children have struggled to grasp that their home is gone for good.
Despite the loss, the parents said they are holding onto gratitude for the people around them. “We’re good, we’re a strong family. We pull together really well,” they said, crediting their church family and the Saraland community for rallying around them.