A Lauderhill family was thrust into tragedy over the weekend when fire engulfed their home, claiming the life of a pet cat and leaving them without a place to live. The blaze, which erupted on Saturday, had firefighters racing to the scene where they found a house inundated with smoke and flames pouring from the doors and windows, officials said.
Homeowner Eileen Worst and her two grandchildren were in the home when the fire sparked. According to NBC Miami, Worst attempted to combat the flames with a bucket of water but was forced to flee as the inferno intensified. "I couldn't see,” she said, explaining the tentative efforts to save the house. “It went up fast.”
The fire reportedly began in her granddaughter's room and may have been caused by an incense candle that was lit earlier. Worst and her two grandchildren made it out of the burning structure, but the family endured another heartbreak as one of their cats perished in the fire. The grandmother told NBC Miami, "Oh I'm alive, my grandson's alive, my granddaughter."
"I'm not feeling really great, my eyes are blurry," Worst said, after barely escaping with singed hair and a burn to her forehead. The aftermath of the disaster left the family in shambles, with Summer Carroll confessing to WSVN, “Very stressed right now, very in shock. I don’t really know how to feel.” Firefighters did their due diligence by quickly entering the house to search for anyone else inside, ultimately rescuing three cats, yet the loss of one has added to the family's grief.
Adding to the devastation, Worst revealed to WSVN her financial predicament, caused by the house being uninsured. "When I paid off the house, I stopped the insurance, so now I’m in a mess," she lamented. The street where the destroyed home sits was closed to traffic as investigations into the exact cause of the fire continued well into the evening.
