A fire the day after Christmas at a triplex on West Blvd. in Cleveland has forced three separate families to find housing elsewhere.
Nick and Samantha Dawson lived in one of the lower units for about three years. It’s where they started a new phase of life together.
"It's the house we got married in. The house we found out I was pregnant and where we brought Theo home,” Samantha said.
The family of three celebrated an extra special Christmas this year, their baby son Theo’s first.
"You have this huge high of you know being a first-time parent experiencing this huge holiday, and then the day after you lose your home. It's brutal," Nick said.
The fire didn’t originate in the couple’s unit but the one above them. The fire department said an unattended candle caused it. Damage is estimated to be more than $100,000.
When the fire started, Nick was watching TV. His wife and son were taking a nap.
“All of a sudden, I heard somebody on our porch and banging on our door… somebody yelling ‘You need to get out of the house. It’s on fire,’” Nick recalled. “I ran upstairs, got her, got the dog, got the baby out, and we were all able to get out really quickly."
Samantha said, “I just heard Nick screaming all of a sudden and I could smell it (fire) when I woke up, and I grabbed a blanket to wrap the baby in and just got out as fast as we could.”
The Dawsons said had it not been for the bangs on the door; they wouldn’t have known about the fire. They said two women who happened to be driving by delivering food for DoorDash saw the flames, stopped and ran to their rescue.
“DoorDash-ing,” Samantha said.
“Just DoorDash-ing,” Nick echoed. “And thank God they stopped when they did.”
“We’re so grateful for them,” Samantha said.
“Without a doubt,” Samantha said. "They’re angels.”
Since the fire they've spoken to one of the DoorDash employees to again express their gratitude.
Samantha said the Cleveland Fire Department also went above and beyond.
“An amazing firefighter went back into the house to get my breast milk out of the freezer,” Samantha said. “And we were very thankful for that because I worked very hard on that.”
The Dawsons have been back to their home briefly to collect some belongings.
“We went into Theo’s room and there was black water coming down the walls and just pouring into his bed and it broke my heart,” Samantha said. “I spent most of my pregnancy working on his room and it just it was overwhelming. It's just stuff but it's stuff that did mean a lot to you.”
Among some of the possessions salvaged include most of the photo books of Theo, Nick and Samantha’s childhood photos, a “DAD” sweatshirt with letters made out of Theo’s onesies and a few other priceless items.
"I had two grandparents pass away within the last couple of years- so was able to get their rosaries out,” Nick said.
“Your nana’s ashes,” Samantha added.
“Got my nana’s ashes out,” Nick confirmed.
The family is currently living with Nick’s mom and stepdad while they work to rebuild their lives and find a new place to live.
“We've been looking at some rental properties,” Samantha said. “We've also been talking about the possibility of buying a home and having a really fresh new start.”
The Dawsons are counting their blessings.
"We're speechless by the generosity of friends, family, strangers (and) people we haven't spoken to in a decade,” Samantha said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help them move forward.
The couple said they want all families to have fire extinguishers in their homes, triple-check smoke detectors, and have an escape plan should there be a fire.
The Red Cross has numerous resources available, including how to get a free smoke detector.
