Ivor, Va. – A fire destroyed an Ivor home Wednesday night, leaving a family without anything just before Christmas.
Crews responded to the 11500 block of Jonestown Drive Wednesday evening.
Tina Dennis says she was cooking when the grease started catching fire. She instinctively grabbed the skillet, burning her hand.
“The grease splattered and caught the stove and so I tried to get a towel to smother it and the towel just went up in flames,” she says.
Tina was the only one home at the time. Her husband and 14-year-old son were headed home from baseball practice and her 8-year-old daughter Alyvia was at church.
“We were driving to the house, probably a mile away. You could see the flames above the tree lines,” says Rob Dennis.
The Red Cross put the Dennis family up in a Smithfield hotel. The family says they have insurance to repair the home but there were things inside that can never be replaced.
The Dennis’ lost everything in the fire, including their German Shepherd puppy.
“I always say to myself, well I would do this or I would do that if I was in a fire but you just instinctively, you just, you have to get out. And you know you’re leaving all of your possessions you know you’re leaving your house,” Tina says.
Despite the tragedy, the family says they know there’s still plenty of good in the world.
“Everything that we’re wearing, everything we have on right now has all been from our church and community outpouring,” Rob says.
