NEW IBERIA, La. ( KLFY )– A New Iberia school bus driver lost her home this Saturday afternoon to a fire.

Amanda Folse’s home caught on fire around 2:30 p.m. The fire lasted about four hours.

Folse’s son and her friend Floyd Flugence were in the house at the time of the fire. Flugence said he rolled through the flames to escape out of the front door, and Folse’s son stayed inside to find car keys.

“I guess he couldn’t find me,” Flugence said. “The smoke had gotten heavy, and then he had to climb out of the kitchen window. He had to knock out the air condition out the window.”

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Folse’s lost nearly everything in the home that has been in her family over 50 years.

“I’ve lived here most of my life, since I was 12 years old,” Folse said. “This is my home. There are a lot of memories.”

Friends and family have been helping Folse go through what is left. All they’ve found is a few family photos and some of her mother’s jewelry.

“She left me the home that has so many memories. We found a few pictures. We found a couple of rosaries,” Folse said. “It’s just very little is able to be saved because it burned down to the ground.”

She has received help from the community, including clothes and a stay at a local motel, but she has created a GoFundMe for others to donate to help her afford a new home.

She hopes to be rehoused by the time school starts, so she can continue her job.

“This is a blessing that people have come up and helped us,” Folse said. “I’ve had several donations and offers on different things, but I’m so appreciative with everything.”

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