By FireRescue1 Staff
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — After a firefighter-EMT lost her home in a fire, she has received an outpouring of support from her community.
Heather Miller lost her two pets, all of her belongings and vehicle in the blaze, reported the Inter-Mountain. Miller said she was baking when her living room couch caught fire — she believes an ember from her wood stove fell onto the couch. Although her first reaction was to drag the couch out of the house, she quickly realized she had no time.
Miller and one of her dogs managed to escape; her other dog and cat perished in the fire. Since she left her phone in the house, she was unable to call for help.
“The house is kind of in the country. There’s electric fences and cattle fields between me and my nearest neighbor, so, basically, all I could do was stand in my yard and scream for help in my socks and a T-shirt,” Miller said.
Shortly after, fellow firefighters responded to the fire and extinguished the blaze. Miller suffered severe smoke inhalation and spent the night in the hospital; she has since been released.
“It can happen to anybody, absolutely,” Belington Fire Chief Phil Hart said. “What we want to do is help her get back to where she has a home.”
A support meeting was held for Miller Sunday, where community members and colleagues discussed how to best help her. She is currently living at her mother’s home and at her fire station.
“I’m just not ready to be alone, so I’m actually kind of staying at the squad with my fellow firefighters. My dog is here with me. They’re keeping me company,” Miller said.
A GoFundMe page has been created in Miller’s name.
“It’s truly humbling. We work in different squads, but when it comes down to it, everybody in this service is family … There are not enough words to begin to describe the gratitude,” Miller said.