‘It’s not home anymore’ | North Texas mother and daughter displaced by fire days after Christmas

GARLAND, Texas — Sarah Hafer and her daughter Olivia, 7, are having to adjust to their new and harsh reality. Their home of seven years in Garland was reduced to ashes in a devastating Saturday night fire.

“If she hadn’t come down when she did, we may not have made it out ourselves,” Sarah said, recalling how Olivia walked downstairs for late-night cookies and noticed the smoke. 

The Garland Fire Department says the cause of the fire is undetermined, but Sarah believes it started behind the fridge.

The fire destroyed nearly everything. If it isn’t charred, it’s soggy from the fire-fight. 

“It’s just complete destruction,” Sarah described the aftermath. And though there is never a good time for a fire, this one came just days after Christmas.

The community quickly rallied around Sarah and Olivia. Strangers like Ashley Cannady offered clothes and essentials. She and one other neighbor walked up to Sarah with hands full of donated items.

“I’m just thankful they both made it out alive,” said Ashley.

 “Community really comes together in a time of need,” Sarah said. The goal was to restore at least some joy for 7-year-old Olivia, who lost her new Christmas gift, a skateboard and legos, in the blaze.

While the family lost several pets, Sarah managed to save a few treasured items, including her grandmother’s cross. 

“This was my grandma’s cross that I salvaged from her home,” Sarah shared. An imprint of the cross is fixed on the burned wall of their apartment. A friend of Sarah’s hopes to frame the cross.

As they face the challenge of finding a new home after their hotel stay expires, Sarah and Olivia are grateful to be alive, though they know their journey is just beginning. 

“It’s hard losing everything in the blink of an eye,” Sarah said, reflecting on the difficult road ahead.

The family has organized a GoFundMe page to help with unexpected costs associated with the fire.