Family thankful for help after house fire

New to neighborhood, family touched by support from community

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A Clay County family is celebrating Thanksgiving in a way it never imagined.

Two days ago a fire broke out at the Kents' home in Oakleaf Plantation.
It started in the fireplace and spread, leaving them without their home for the holiday.

Firefighters from Clay County Fire Rescue responded around 5 p.m. Tuesday to Tower Oaks Drive, and officials said it took 6 minutes to get the fire under control and about an hour and a half to completely extinguish it. 

Despite that fire, the Kents said they have plenty to be thankful for Thursday.

The former military family just moved to the area last month and had really started to make this feel like home. Now, the Kents are desperately trying to find a new one.

But when neighbors stepped in to help, it gave them a sense of community they never expected.

IMAGES: Fire damages home in Oakleaf Plantation

Standing in her now burned kitchen, Simone Kent's Thanksgiving dinner plans have changed.

A fire Tuesday left her home looking like a charred mess inside, and now what's for dinner is the least of her worries.

"The very first night after the fire when we walked in, it was just like an overwhelming feeling of 'We will never get past this,'" Simone Kent said.

Simone and her husband Erich, who recently came back from his last deployment, moved from Virginia and into their home in Oakleaf last month with their two children.

The kids were at home when a fire in their fireplace spread throughout the house.

They've been staying between a friend's house and hotel ever since, but need somewhere permanent soon.

The Kents' daughter goes to dialysis three times a week and is waiting for a kidney transplant.

"They consider the situation a little different when you're homeless or when you don't have a home, because once she's transplanted everything is about cleanliness and not being in groups and not being in hotels," Simone Kent said.

It's hard for Simone Kent to see her damaged home knowing just days before it looked normal.

But as the Kents wait for a new place to call home, they are encouraged by the kindness of a community they barely even know.

Their neighbors in Oakleaf Plantation have stepped in, giving them gift cards, clothing, even setting up a GoFundMe account in their name at gofundme.com/HelpTheKents.

"When you're military, even if you're not military, and you just move somewhere you don't know anybody," Simone Kent said.

"And total strangers are just helping you out," Erich Kent added. "There's still some good people out there."

The Kents said they have a place to stay until Sunday. After that, they're not sure, but they are hoping to find a home to rent. 

Because of the cold weather, Clay County Fire Rescue officials wanted to remind everyone to make sure space heaters and fireplaces are maintained and used properly and that all homes have working smoke detectors. They said it's important to always check and change batteries.