"I got a call, saying Miss Bernadette, your house is burning, and I said, well, no, my house is not burning. No way, you know, but she said yes, your home is on fire, and I just dropped to my knees and began to cry and say, Jesus help me," said Bernadette Roberts.
Roberts' home, secured with decades-long memories, now sits vacant. Last week, a Friday morning fire ravished through the house, destroying everything in its path.
"I've been at the house for over 40 years," Roberts said
Earlier that morning, Roberts says she noticed her air conditioner unit fell out of her window, but she did not think anything of it and called her lawman to come and install the unit back in. Next, she would leave for work only to get a call midday that her house was up in flames.
"This is just very heartbreaking for me; it is very heart breaking," said Roberts.
Roberts says the home belonged to her mother for decades, where family memories, events, and milestones occurred. However, her mother passed away in 2002. The home was then passed down to her, and she continued many family traditions and made new memories, but some of those memories are now gone physically.
"I tried to salvage the pictures, but they are all gone. Basically, my mom's picture, my dad's picture, my grandkid's pictures were destroyed," said Roberts.
Roberts shared the home with one of her youngest sons, but neither was home at the time of the fire.
"I am truly blessed just to be alive," said Roberts.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for Roberts to begin rebuilding her family home. If you would like to donate, you can click here
The Opelousas fire department determined that the fire may have been caused by an electrical issue.
