Aurora family of 12 still in need after house fire displaced them

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — An Aurora family of 12 who was displaced after their home caught on fire last Sunday says they only have days until they have to find a new place to live.

It’s been a little over a week since Deana Morris and her 12 family members were displaced after a house fire forced them to find somewhere else to live. They’ve been staying in a hotel for now, but said they have to be out by Friday.

“We just want somewhere safe for our babies. Of course, we’re at the motels together, we always have each other, but we need somewhere safe and stable for the kids,” Morris said.

It was Sunday, Aug. 25, when Aurora Fire Rescue said crews arrived on the reported fire within two minutes. They were met with light smoke coming from the two-story single-family home. Morris believes the fire broke out in her parents’ second-floor bedroom.

She said she and her husband got out with their kids. Her sister’s family and her mom got out as well. But Deana’s father, Robert Morris, was alone in the bedroom where the fire broke out. Her husband and brother-in-law returned to get him and he was unresponsive.

The large number of her family members has posed problems: Trying to find housing for that many people is no easy task, but her family wants to stay together if they can.

“We’ve just grown up in a big homely, family comes first kind of environment, so of course we wanted to do that with our children as well,” Morris said.

They also have to move any salvageable belongings out of the home by Friday, posing another issue with limited money and only one car. The stress, has been weighing on all of the family members including the children.

“It’s traumatizing, especially when you got some of the kids coming up to you and they start crying and saying ‘Mommy I want to go home.’ My 4-year-old keeps saying she wants to just go back to her bed. My nephew who is almost 4 years old has been having nightmares,” Morris said.

The family has a GoFundMe campaign set up to help with those expenses.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.