HOUSTON – A mother and her 11 children are left without a home for the holidays after a massive fire devastated their house.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. Wednesday in the Lake Point subdivision on Pinewood Trace Lane near West Little York, authorities said.
Cpt. Daniel Arizpe with the Cy-Fair Fire Department said the fire started in the garage and quickly spread into the attic.
Catherine Modlies said she’s thankful she and her children were awake when they smelled smoke. Modlies said they searched the home but couldn’t figure out where the fire was coming from until they opened the garage door. That’s when Modlies said they saw the flames and made a run for it.
“Instead of them panicking, they went straight to action, ya’ll,” the mom of 11 said.
Modlies said only ten of her children were home at the time.
The family’s neighbor said she was awake when the fire happened and she rushed to wake her family to get out.
“All of a sudden, I heard two explosions ... I feel lucky to be alive,” said next-door neighbor, Gloria Ntela.
Crews were able to put the flames out quickly, and while all 11 people inside were able to get out safely, Arizpe said the home is not going to be livable. The eldest child was not at home at the time of the fire.
“Unfortunately, this family lost their home tonight,” Arizpe said. “It was a garage fire that spread to the attic, so most of the fire and damage was above. Unfortunately, those things come down and (cause) damage.”
Arizpe said is it a good thing no one got hurt, but it is still tragic and unfortunate this happened, especially with Christmas right around the corner. Luckily, Arizpe said firefighters were able to save the majority of the items inside.
“I am glad that they are safe,” Ntela said. “I am glad that they reacted fast.”
Modlies said though her children lost their clothing, Christmas gifts and their home, she’s grateful they’re all safe. They range in age from 2 months to 23 years.
The Louisiana native said they moved from Baton Rouge to the Houston-area in 2017 to get away from an abusive relationship. Now, Moldies said it hurts to start over.
“I’m crying because we don’t have nothing,” she said. “And then we’re not really from here so I’m like, ‘Oh my God! What are we going to do? Where are we going to go?’ Then I said, ‘I don’t care. I’ll sleep in my car,’ because I got my kids, ya’ll. And they still all with me.”
The family plans to stay at a friend’s house until they can figure out where to go from there.
Arizpe said Harris County Fire Marshal Office investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but is believed to have started in the garage.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family. Click here if you’d like to donate.