Collinsville Family Navigating Loss Of Home Due To New Year's Eve Fire

A family of six is starting the new year without a home after their house in Collinsville caught fire.

Now they're trying to figure out what's next and if they can eventually go back home.

Those who live in the community are helping out the family in any way they can.

The Meeker family closed on this home six years ago Jan. 3rd.

Since the fire badly damaged it, they have stayed at three different places.

The family had just left their Collinsville home on New Year's Eve to head to a party when they got a photo from a neighbor telling them their house was on fire.

"Where the fire started is right by our stairwell, so had we been home and upstairs, we wouldn't have been able to go down the stairs. We would have had to jump out the window or something," Amber Meeker said.

Amber, Paul, their four sons ages 5 to 16 and their three dogs are all safe, but all four bedrooms and most things in the home are destroyed.

"My 8-year-old's asked me. he's like, 'Mom, I was just hoping it was a dream. I just wanted to wake up and we were in our home. I was like, yeah, buddy. The little one, they're worried about birthday parties," Amber said.

The kids lost all the Christmas presents they just opened. Still, they're grateful.

"I mainly want to make sure my kids are taken care of and get them their beds and all that so when we do get into housing, they can have a little bit of normalcy brought back to them and stability because right now it's 'Where are we laying our head down tonight?'," Amber said.

Their church and neighbors have been helping and strangers have been donating to a GoFundMe set up for them. To view the GoFundMe, click here.

"You don't realize how many people out there really care about people and their families until stuff like this happens," Paul said.