Hopewell mother of 4 tries to rebuild after devastating house fire: 'My whole life was here'

HOPEWELL, Va. — A Hopewell mother of four young children is trying to put her life back together after a house fire destroyed almost everything her family owns.

Fire broke out Saturday morning on the second floor of Caitlynn Slagle's Boston Street home. The fire marshal says the fire is suspicious. One man is in the hospital in critical condition with burns.

Slagle, 27, says she and her children were not home when the fire broke out.

"It destroyed my entire room. My whole attic. There are holes in my ceiling. My living room ceiling is practically gone. My house is flooded," Slagle said.

Caitlynn Slagle

The home is also where Slagle grew up, making the loss even more painful.

"My heart shattered because this is literally the only thing I have left of my Mom," Slagle said. "On the weekends we would always do little cookouts with the family and we would spend it together. Literally my whole life was here. My whole life."

Slagle has four children: a 1-year-old son, a 4-year-old daughter, a 5-year-old son, and a 7-year-old son. She says all of them just want to come home.

Caitlynn Slagle

"Everything that wasn't caught on fire, was soaking or it's just covered in smoke. Just about everything is unsalvageable. They didn't go to school today because I didn't have clothes for my boys," Slagle said.

Her 4-year-old daughter had her own worry amid the chaos — she was concerned about her bracelets and her necklace.

For now, Slagle and her children are staying with a co-worker until other arrangements can be made.

A relative has set up a GoFundMe to help the family rebuild. Those who want to help can also send contributions via CashApp to $caity936.

Donations of clothing are also being accepted. Sizes needed are listed below.

• Boy (7-year-old): Size 7/8 clothing, size 12/1 shoe
• Boy (5-year-old): Size 6/7 clothing, size 11/12 shoe
• Girl (4-year-old): Size 4/5 clothing, size 9/10 shoe
• Boy (1-year-old): Size 2T clothing, size 6/7 shoe

Help Jennifer's cousin rebuild after fire – GoFundMe

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