Family copes after home burns to the ground in Smithfield

A Smithfield family’s home burned down to its foundation. Now the people who lived there are trying to figure out what happened late Tuesday night.

Nancy Willett grew up in the home her father built when she was a child.

“It’s heartbreaking because every memory, everything my mother had made for me, everything that my father had built for me is now gone,” says Willett.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Willett and her brother were both at work when the fire erupted.

The only one who was home at the time was her mentally-ill mother-in-law.

“She was completely out of it, causing a scene. She locked herself inside a bathroom at the DMV,” says Willett.

Saying  that the entire house has been charred is barely an exaggeration. The walls have fallen over and the roof has collapsed.

Willett’s brother’s room is now mixed in the with the kitchen stove.

For a family that’s normally too proud to ask for any help, this disaster has them worried about what’s next.

“Right now, I’m working out of a clothes basket for clothes,” says Willett.

If you would like to help, donations can be taken to the Papa John’s in Smithfield.

Click here for more information.