JOYCE — The community is stepping up to support a family who lost their home to a fire.
The Freeze family — Jessica, Cody and their 2-year-old son — lost their home Nov. 16 after a fire destroyed the trailer they’d been living in on property owned by Jessica Freeze’s parents, said her sister, Jennifer Cross.
The family, not home at the time of the fire, lost their cat, Axios, in the blaze.
Joyce Fire & Rescue responded to the scene.
“When we arrived, it had pretty much already burned itself down,” Fire Chief Greg Waters said. “There were still active flames, but it didn’t take too long to knock it down.”
Propane tanks and ammunition inside the home went off before the fire department arrived, Waters said.
“They’re adjusting,” Cross said. “My nephew is having a really hard time. He keeps asking ‘where’s this, Mommy?’ ‘where’s that, Daddy?’ or ‘Where’s Axios?’ Thankfully, we’ve got a really good support system so they’re adjusting.”
The family lost all of their clothing, bedding, electronics, food and furniture along with the boy’s toys and books, according to a GoFundMe account Cross created for them.
“Their truck and tractor were also damaged in the blaze,” according to the GoFundMe page. “Insurance is helping minimally with the loss of personal items and their coverage did not extend to the trailer and tractor.”
The truck and tractor, with some repairs, should be functional, Waters said.
The fundraiser goal for the GoFundMe page — at tinyurl.com/PDN-Joyce-Fire — is $5,000. As of Friday morning, the page had raised $4,700.
“They’re very grateful for everyone that has already donated to them,” Cross said. “They’ve gotten a lot of clothes and toys for my nephew. The outreach from our community has been amazing, and they’re just really grateful for everyone that is rallying around them at this time.”
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
