WILLIS, Texas – Christmas decorations are still wrapped around the porch, but the rest of Sherry Newman’s home is left charred. The family of five′s Willis home was destroyed in a fire days before Christmas Day.
“We were sleeping, and I woke up to screaming. My youngest son said he was hot. He just started screaming and he saw fire,” Newman said.
The family’s dog, Tank, also started barking, waking everyone up in the house that quickly filled with smoke.
“I couldn’t even see, and I ran out the back door,” Newman said.
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Everyone inside the home made it out, except for Tank’s 10 one-week-old puppies. Newman believes the space heater that was keeping them warm, could be the reason for the fire that left their home of 21 years in shambles.
Newman hopes the tragedy will remind others to clean the vents for their space heaters.
“If you do use them, clean the AC window unit because apparently in the back there’s vents on it, which I never knew. They need to be cleaned constantly because they do get dust. If you’re going to use it, clean it. Other than that, it’s going to overheat and burn and then you’ll have a fire like my house,” Newman said.
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Newman said her family is getting some help from insurance and they have a temporary place to stay, but the memories made in the home cannot be replaced.
“My kids grew up here, and there’s a lot of memories here. It just hurts that it’s gone,” Newman said.