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Richmond couple loses everything after fire destroys home

Posted at 11:10 PM, Jan 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-02 23:20:58-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- Alicia and Dante Lucas did not think they would be without a home coming into the New Year.

The Richmond couple lost their home on December 29 after it caught on fire in the early morning.

Alicia was not home at the time, but her husband, Dante, woke up to find his house filled with smoke.

“I couldn’t see the front door,” he said. “The only thing I could see was the computer screen that was by a window.”

Alicia and Dante Lucas

Alicia and Dante Lucas

The American Red Cross has put them up in a hotel temporarily, but the couple lost everything during the fire.

“Emotionally it’s been very difficult. Mentality it’s been difficult,” said Alicia. “You feel like you’re stripped bare because you have nothing.”

Thankfully, no one was injured and Dante Lucas was able to get their dogs out of the home safely.

Since the fire, the couple said they have been overwhelmed by the support from Alicia’s co-workers at Memorial Regional Medical Center.

Her co-workers created a GoFundMe account to help the family.

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“Without my work family at Memorial, I don’t know what we would have done,” said Alicia. “They have stepped in tremendously and helped us.”

The couple said in difficult times like these, those acts of kindness are reminders that everything is going to be okay.

“You have to keep going,” said Alicia. “If you don’t, it will tear you up emotionally, it will tear you up mentally.”

If you would like to help the family, you can donate to their GoFundMe account.

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