ESCAMBIA COUNTY - An Escambia County family says they are lucky to be alive tonight after a fire broke out while they were sound asleep...

The family lives on Florelle Way near Montclair Road.

Around four this morning.... the family of eight was alerted by a passerby to a fire inside their house.

Firefighters say it started in the attic and was caused by an electrical short.

This is what's left of the house.

The Jenkins family was sound asleep last night when a deputy driving by noticed the fire and knocked on their door.

Josephine Jenkins, Lost home in fire: "Had it not been for that police officer riding by and seeing us, it's no telling what would've happened."

Brittney Jenkins, Lost home in fire: "I was in my bed and I smelled smoke, but I didn't know what it was, so when they woke me up...I was shocked."

Josephine Jenkins, Lost home in fire: "when we ran out, we seen smoke...cause it wasn't smoky in the house, but when we got out of the house and looked back at the house it was all smoke and in a matter of seconds it had flamed up."

Now there three bedroom house is gone.

Their new home a single hotel room.

Now thanks to the Red Cross...This family of eight has a place to rest their heads.

Josephine Jenkins, Lost home in fire: "It's crammed right now, but it'll do for now...we're adjusting, it's hard though."

They have bags of clothes they were able to salvage, grocercies thanks to Red Cross money and things to keep them warm from neighbors.

Brittney Jenkins, Lost home in fire: "I grew up in it, spent my whole life in there...kinda devastated that it's going to be awhile before I get back in my house."

While the home they knew is no more...What they love most is still with them.

Josephine Jenkins, Lost home in fire: "your family is the most important thing, it's not the material things in that house, like I said they can be replaced but to know that you got your family and to hold and embrace them and to know that they are there for you and they are alive and that you get to see them another day...that's the most important thing."

The Jenkins will be in a hotel for a week, then staying with family. Their goal is to eventually rebuild this house.
Life After A Fire