SEMINOLE, Okla. (KFOR) – Five Seminole families are now without a home after an electrical fire damaged their unit.
It happened at the Courtyard Apartments around 9 p.m. Wednesday. Fire crews arrived at the scene after residents called for help.
“A big portion of the fire was put out by residents,” said Lt. Drew Taylor with Seminole Fire Department. “I guess they have, you know, properly placed extinguishers, which is good, and 90 percent of the fire was out.”
Ashley Keefer’s family was one of five families who were displaced.
“I don’t have nothing, and I lost everything,” said Keefer. “My kids lost everything. I don’t have a house now. I don’t have nowhere to live.”
Keefer told KFOR she and her kids were watching television when she saw flames outside her front door.
“I can’t even sleep last night because every time I close my eyes, all I see is fire because I could’ve been asleep,” said Keefer.
Keefer said her two neighbors, Jeffrey Madden and Rochelle Butler, came to their rescue.
“I’ll step outside, and [the fire was] fully involved,” said Jeffrey. “I [came] downstairs, [started] yelling, ‘Everybody get up! Get up!'”
The couple used three fire extinguishers and water to put out the flames. They were able to get Keefer’s children to safety.
“I would have done anything to save those kids,” said Keefer. “I would break a window. I would literally run through walls. I had to save those kids.”
Keefer credits her neighbors for their life-saving efforts. She believes if it had not been for them, things would’ve been much different.
“Something bad could happen to them,” said Keefer. “I thank you for saving everything they could and for saving my apartment and getting my kids out.”
“I’m sorry that this happened to them,” said Butler. “I hope the best for them, and I hope that our community can come together and help these people.”
The Seminole Fire Department chief told KFOR the fire was electrical. Keefer has a GoFundMe account set up.
If you’d like to help, go to gofund.me/f4ff54a4.