Woman returns home to find FEMA trailer up in smoke

Kenyan Marshall sent her five kids off to school, on the morning of Sept. 6, and headed for grocery shopping at Wal-Mart in Boutte.

When she returned home to her FEMA trailer, on 105 Byrd Street in Hahnville, she noticed the interior was engulfed in smoke and flames.

“When I got back home, I was shocked to see that the windows were black, and when I touched the knob on the trailer door it was hot,” Marshall said. “So I decided not to open the door. I walked around to the back of the trailer, and saw through the living room window that the inside of the trailer was on fire. Then, I called 911.”

Hahnville Fire Chief Reginald Gaubert, commends Marshall for taking wise steps.

“If Ms. Marshall, would have opened the door to the trailer the entire mobile home would have exploded,” he said. “When we arrived at the scene to check things out, we noticed that the outside of the trailer wasn’t burning, just the inside.”

Gaubert said the lack of oxygen caused the fire to put it self out.

“Oxygen acts as a fuel for fires, once the oxygen was absorbed within the trailer the flames died and the fire went out by itself,” he said. “We’re just glad that no one was hurt.”

Gaubert said the fire is still under investigation.

“FEMA fire investigators were called, the cause of the fire is unknown,” he said.

Once oxygen meets open flames an explosion is inevitable.

Marshall said the entire family is devastated because of this fire.

“One of my children plays basketball, and he lost all of his trophies and medals,” she said. “We tried to clean them off, but they were just too damaged.”

The Marshall’s children, ages 15, 13, nine, eight, and five were upset about the loss.

“The children all cried,” Marshall said. “I don’t know what we are going to now, I just hope FEMA comes through and continues to pay our hotel bill. I spoke to a FEMA worker and she said they are working to try to give us a replacement trailer.”

Oddly enough, the flames were on the inside of the trailer.

Marshall and her husband received the FEMA trailer after two trees destroyed the mobile home they lived in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina.

Councilman Desmond Hillaire , district 1 representative, helped the Marshall family by directing them to the appropriate agencies for temporary assistance.

For more information on how you can help the Marshall family, call 985-510-2115.

 

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