AURORA, Colo. — A family of 12 is without a home after a fire destroyed it.
On Aug. 25, Aurora Fire Rescue crews responded to a home on East Ellsworth Place, southwest of Del Mar Park in Aurora. Upon arrival, crews saw smoke coming from the home and a man badly injured outside.
Only that man was seriously hurt and remains in the hospital. Family members have identified him as Bobby Morris.
"I just wanted to make sure that he was still OK," said Billy Morris, Bobby's brother. "It was definitely a tragedy no one could have possibly predicted."
"He has had third-degree burns all over his face, down his neck and his arm, and then the three vertebrae knocked out of place," Morris said. "So not only is he like mummified, but he’s got a halo as well to keep his neck in place. I was terrified, absolutely terrified."
Aurora Fire Rescue said the cause and origin of the fire are under investigation. No one else was hurt, but a dozen people are out of a home. Morris' brother lived there with his wife, kids and grandkids.
"The youngest one is like 3 weeks old," Morris said about the grandkids. "They're in a really bad hotel right now, and they don't feel safe."
Morris and friends have created a GoFundMe to help find the family a new home while his brother recovers.
"They were so happy and thrilled to be able to get that place, and now it's not an option anymore," Morris said. "They don't really want money, they just want a home. They just want another home."
Six dogs were also displaced by the fire. According to Aurora Fire Rescue, one of the them was rescued and revived by CPR.