Douglas County couple homeless after house fire just weeks before holidays

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Mo. - A couple in Douglas County found themselves homeless just weeks before Christmas after their home caught fire this weekend.

Due to the rural area, it took fire crews 30 minutes to get to their home. The Richardsons lost nearly everything but the clothes on their back.

“We were standing out here going, ‘Oh I can’t believe this,’” said Nancy Richardson. “And we can't. We still can’t. Haven't got used to it yet.”

Nancy and Ken Richardson have been living in this rural Douglas County community for over 20 years. This past Friday, they were burning trash outside their home.

“And it jumped from one thing to the next,” Nancy said.

They lost multiple mobile homes, a barn and a pump house.

“We had three dogs,” Nancy said. “We have two left. And I'm thankful about that. But one died in this fire. And it’s hard.”

They were able to salvage their cars and their wallets. Everything else, from pictures to clothes and tools, is now gone.

Included in the memories lost were a few Christmas presents.

“We've lost some stuff that was for them and anything I was able to do for a get-together, the refrigerator and all the other things that go with all the stuff that you cook,” Nancy said.

The Red Cross was able to give them enough money and supplies to live in a hotel for a few nights. Now, they are trying to live in an old mobile home that they say needs some work done to be liveable for the winter.

“We’re going to try to put one foot in front of the other, but I don’t know,” Nancy said. “We’ll just have to see.”

The Richardsons say their children have been trying to help them as much as possible.

Their daughter set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs since they do not have insurance. You can donate here to help.

“Any kind of help is very appreciated, very,” Nancy said. “So that we can try to find our way through. It's just hard, but that's the way it is.”