A morning fire destroyed Blake and Amelia Smith’s at 368 Lafleur Road northeast of Eunice on Sunday.
Amelia Smith, who was home at the time, with her two younger children and pets, said she heard what sounded like a crackling sound and called 911 at about 6:20 a.m.
“My home was totally ablaze at this time,” she said.
Smith said she was told the cause of the fire started at a breaker box located in the home’s garage.
Her husband was working offshore when the fire occurred, she said.
Eunice and St. Landry Parish Fire District 6 firefighters responded to the fire.
Eunice Fire Chief Michael Arnold said, “At approximately 6:33 a.m. the first apparatus arrived on scene. Seven fire apparatus and 15 personnel responded to the call. The fire was brought under control at 8:16 a.m. and the scene was cleared by 10:22 a.m.”
Arnold added, “There were no injuries reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Smith’s have resided in the 30-year-old home for the past six months.
Smith painted the poster for the 34th annual World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-off scheduled Sunday at the Northwest Pavilion in Eunice.
A GoFundMe.com account has been created with a goal of $100,000. As of Wednesday morning the page reported $9,035 had been raised.
The Smiths have two children, Olivia, 7, and Michael, 4.
After taking her children from the house, the page reports, “She went back in to rescue her pets and her son’s medication. Michael was born with a congenital heart defect. Michael has had multiple surgeries. After saving for years for the house of their dreams, it was all destroyed. They lost everything in the house fire including their vehicles.”
