Catrina Vermote and her family lost their home and all their possessions.
ESCANABA -- People in Escanaba are trying to turn a tragedy into a triumph. There has been an outpouring of support for those who lost their homes in a fire that destroyed three houses on Friday.
An Escanaba middle school student was among those who lost everything in the fire. Catrina Vermote and her family lost their home and all their possessions in the early morning hours on Friday. Catrina said she was woken up by her mom and just everything happened so fast.
"When we got out, within 10-15 minutes, our house started on fire and then our other neighbor's house started on fire," said Catrina. "We've been living there for 14 years and yeah, we lost everything."
But support from her peers at the Escanaba Middle School has helped her realize she's not alone. So far, students and staff have been able to raise over $500 for Catrina and her family. Monetary donations aren't the only things coming in.
"I've gotten so many donations of clothes; like I have more clothes than I had last time and they're raising a lot of money at the high school and here for my family, because my sister goes to the high school," Catrina explained.
School Principal Kay Johnson said she's not surprised by the district-wide effort to help.
"When tragedies like this strike, I think we try to make the best we can of it," said Johnson. "Certainly that showed up Friday and Monday--students and staff of the Escanaba schools are turning tragedy into triumph by collecting money and offering support, and we'll be there for the family in the future, also."
There will be a benefit coming up on December 20 at the Elks in Escanaba. The event will benefit all those affected by the fires from last Friday.
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