NICEVILLE, Fla. — Soaring premiums have made it hard for many families to afford home insurance.
A Niceville woman and her two daughters were living at her mother’s home to save some money.
Two days ago, it went up in flames. The family didn’t have money to insure the home. It was just too expensive for them.
The woman WEAR News met is a single mother, who moved back into her childhood home to try to get back on her feet.
She said Christmas feels a lot different, with a lot more to be grateful for.
When a fire tore through the home on Wednesday, it left damage hidden from view.
From the outside, it doesn’t look too bad. There are Christmas decorations that deflated when the power went out during the fire. The family had just run to the store when they came home to the blaze.
“When I open the front door, I saw smoke coming out of it and opened the door and just filled out like crazy. We called 911, they got here super quick, but they couldn’t get to the fire, because it was in the back of the house,” Barbara Scarborough, homeowner’s daughter said.
Scarborough believes an electrical problem sparked the blaze.
“We lost everything. All of my kids’ photo albums, and baby books. My baby books my mom had,” Scarborough said.
It spread hot and fast, charring the ceiling to the floor.
The single mom of two little girls was living at her mother Lisa Baker’s home.
It is not insured, because Baker’s disabled, on a fixed income, and times are tough.
“I couldn’t afford it. It’s too exorbitant. And when my husband died, it was just me, so we had to let it go,” Baker said.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, the average Florida homeowner pays around 6 thousand dollars a year for their property insurance. It’s over triple the national average of $1,700.
Among the ashes and debris, Scarborough spotted her father’s urn, sitting untouched.
She showed us pictures of their Christmas tree before it was consumed by flames.
The American Red Cross has put the family up in a hotel.
Their church, and even the children’s’ daycare, is helping collect gifts and basic items.
A bleak Christmas is starting to look at little brighter.
Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.