MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – A Middleburg woman is rebuilding her life after losing her home in a fire two weeks ago.
Vivalea Sewell lost everything from clothes, shoes, food, family keepsakes and a pet.
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Sewell told News4Jax she lived in the mobile home for more than 30 years.
For those who are familiar with Middleburg, the fire happened on Angelica Avenue not too far from Alligator Boulevard.
“It is just my whole world is gone,” she said. “Things that were my mother’s that I had. There’s nothing left.”
The fire from Feb.22 left Sewell with second and third-degree burns on both of her arms, her back and scalp.
“My adrenaline was going so hard, I had not felt anything,” Sewell said. “The first way I knew something was wrong was my hair had fallen in my face and when I tried to wipe it away, it all just fell on the ground.”
Sewell says it was an electrical fire that sparked behind her couch in the living room, following the power going out.
Among the cherished valuables she lost, Sewell’s 4-year-old chocolate Lab named Coco died.
Clay County firefighters buried her in the backyard.
Standing strong next to Sewell during an interview with News4Jax was her granddaughter, Alexis Fowler.
In a perfect world, Fowler said she would like to raise $10,000. Fowler and Sewell say they are grateful for the money and items already collected, including a neighbor who handed Sewell $100 in cash.
“She has always been a woman of faith,” Fowler said about her grandmother. “She has been very faithful throughout this time.”
“At this point I am so blessed beyond means,” Sewell said. “The people who have donated, even anonymous people, who I have no clue who it was.”
“We used to have sleepovers,” Fowler said about the mobile home destroyed in the fire. “We used to watch Matlock together. That was our show, The Golden Girls. We loved spending the night together. We celebrated Christmas out here. All of the holidays and everything. We would cook breakfast together.”
Now, just memories they have to hold on to. But Sewell is standing tall on faith and hope as she has to restart.
If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe, you can donate here.