A pesky squirrel turned a Florida family’s life upside down after the critter chewed through electrical wiring, sparking a fire that left their home a charred shell.
Donnie Banta and Stacey Davis were sleeping with their children and pets inside their Panama City home on Jan. 31 when a strange noise and burning smell from the attic jolted them awake, WMBB reported.
“We were all asleep, and I heard the breaker flip in the back,” Banta said.
“So I got up to see what the noise was, and I heard rustling in the attic, and I could smell an electrical odor.”
When the mother of two realized there was a fire, she scurried to get everyone out of the house safely.
“It was very frantic. We were scrambling, trying to wake everybody up and get them all out,” Davis recalled.
Panama City firefighters rushed to the scene and were able to contain the inferno, but the home was completely destroyed.
Banta told the outlet that officials determined a squirrel was the culprit behind the fire, which reduced the home — and all of the family’s prized possessions and valuables — to rubble.
“They said a squirrel got into the attic and chewed on some wires and shorted it out, and that’s what started the fire,” Banta said.
A GoFundMe launched to help the family rebuild their lives revealed that the blaze caused the roof to collapse.
“They are now faced with the overwhelming challenge of starting over from scratch,” the fundraiser page said.
“The loss of their home and belongings has left them in urgent need of support as they navigate this difficult time.”
The campaign funds will be used to help the family secure housing, clothing and basic necessities as they begin the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.
“We’re mainly needing donations to go toward the GoFundMe account,” Davis told WMBB.
“Maybe some furniture or kitchen items as well.”
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