92-year-old Miami woman back home after fire nearly destroys home
MIAMI - A 92-year-old Miami woman is back home after a blaze on the morning of Juneteenth nearly destroyed the home she had been living in for 62 years.
It is a story of how family members and a group of a dozen volunteers worked non-stop to help the elderly victim of this fire.
CBS News Miami first told you about the blaze that swept through Mable Mulkey's home at 4 a.m. on June 19th. Mulkey has lived in the house since May of 1961 and had raised five children there before losing her husband in 1980.
Mulkey was able to get out of the home safely at N.W. 18th Ave. and 51st St., but there was extensive damage.
She told CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench, "I thought my home was going to burn down and I would have nothing lift. It's where my heart is. It has sentimental value. My kids had a good time here. We loved this neighborhood. My whole life was here. After I retired in 1995, I knew this was where I was going to spent the rest of my life."
She said it's not known what caused the fire. She said she was sleeping when a smoke alarm went off.
"All this was burned up in the fire, my dining room furniture and my deep freezer. All that got burned," she said. "When I saw the fire, it was a small fire but it escalated into something big."
Mulkey wondered how she could ever recover.
She said she had canceled her homeowner's insurance because it was too expensive.
"It was very expensive," she said. "I was told they wanted $2,500 just as a down payment for my insurance."
Mulkey's daughters and a team of volunteers including roofers, drywall and electrical experts and painters have been working non-stop on repairing the home.
And on Monday, the day before Mulkey's 92nd birthday, she was able to return home.
"They did my ceiling here and fixed the lighting," she said as she gave D'Oench a tour of her renovated and repaired home.
"I feel good," she said. "I feel good about getting back into my bed."
Jimmy Davis lead the team of volunteers.
"I did this for love, for love," he said. "I have known this family a long time."
Milton Lewis is still hard at work painting the walls inside the home.
He said "You know we all grew up together and I used to live on the next street. You have got to look out for Mommas. Once your Momma is gone you are on your own."
Mulkey said she was grateful.
"I love everyone," she said. "I thank everyone for your prayers and your donations and just the thought of helping somebody who got into something like this."
Davis said there could be a few more months of work ahead on the home.
To that end, Mulkey's determined family members are getting help through a fundraising website.