Deaf Austin mother and son, roommate lose possessions in house fire
In Austin, Texas, Deaf woman Arlene Ngalle, her son Darien, and their roommate José Hernandez escaped a house fire without any injuries, but they lost all of their possessions. They posted videos of the burned-out home and started a GoFundMe that has raised over $20,000 from 400 donors.
[Video]
I was able to reach out to them. I asked how they first noticed the fire.
DARIEN:
Okay. How did I notice the fire on that day? I was on FaceTime while gaming. There was a door for the backyard behind me. I was playing games until Theo, my friend, alerted me to something that was off behind my door. I was confused, looked behind me, and saw something orange. I thought it was something else but when I opened the door, there was a raging fire. I quickly closed it and ran to José.
JOSÉ:
Yeah. While that was happening, my two dogs, a chihuahua and a pit bull, looked very nervous. They were bothering me while I was cutting up my fruit and vegetables. Then Darien came to me, and I was like what? And he said there’s a fire! I was so confused and it was only five minutes. I went outside to open the door and there was a huge pyramid of yellow, red, and orange. There was no smoke at all. I was so confused and slammed the door shut. I got my dogs leashed and escaped.
ARLENE:
I was out of town at the time. I got a call from them. I’m thankful to his friend Theo for spotting the fire behind him. It’s so fortunate. If not for him, he would have not noticed at all until the fire was right behind him and it’d be too late.
JOSÉ:
Can you imagine this? I’ve thought about this. It was late but we didn’t go to bed yet. There were no flashing alarms at all. I’ve really pondered about all the what if’s. It’s so serious.
ARLENE: Yes, I’ve pondered about it as a mother. I was out of town, so I can’t imagine not getting anything overnight and then in the morning I would have been confused. I had a flight for the next day in the evening, but I got an earlier flight. But if something happened, I wouldn’t have been aware until I flew in and I’d be walking in a burned out house and both of them would have been inside… Just no, I can’t imagine it.
THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
Wow, it’s very fortunate that Darien’s friend saw the fire while on FaceTime.
They said they rented the home and unfortunately they did not have renter’s insurance. They said they are now staying with friends, dealing with all the things that have come up now, and working on finding a new place to live.
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I asked them how they felt to get such an outpouring of support from the Deaf community.
ARLENE:
I’m so overwhelmed. I didn’t expect to get so much love and support from the community, from my friends, family, some co-workers. I’m overwhelmed and have sent thank-you’s, but it’s becoming overwhelming. I realized I need to take care of my mental health. It’s so serious and the impact is great. Your support and donations have really helped us to stay rooted in reality and to have hope. You have given me a lifeline. I’ve lost everything but I have hope. Thank you so much.
DARIEN:
Okay. Just like her, I’m overwhelmed. My friends have texted me, it’s more than 40 people. They’ve reached out. I’m blown away. I thought it’d be a small response but it’s been so much and I’m shocked. I just have to press on and think positive. The donations have made me feel like I can stand up and be ready and press on.
JOSÉ:
Before this, my mind felt like it was frozen up. I was not thinking clearly until I started to get the support and the reality hit me. And then it was just like a flood, it’s overwhelming. It really does mean a lot to us.
DARIEN:
Absolutely.
JOSÉ:
Without you, I don’t know where I’d be. I really appreciate it. I really want to thank you for all of your support. I appreciate it.
ARLENE:
Yes, thank you! I appreciate it.
DARIEN:
Thank you.
ALL:
I love you!
THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
Arlene said a deaf-owned business, SCAN Mailboxes, offered to help the family out with providing a free year of mailing service — since they aren’t living at the same address anymore.
The information to help them out is at the GoFundMe page, linked in the transcript.
When I lived in the Austin area, Arlene and Darien did have the opportunity to visit my home studio and they got a “The Daily Moth” mug. Unfortunately, the mug was damaged in the fire.
[Image]
We’ll be sending them new mugs. Our thoughts are with you and may you find a new and safe home.