Rocky Mount family of eight displaced following house fire

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WDBJ) - UPDATE: WDBJ7 did hear back from the Franklin County Department of Public Safety in the form of a release Monday with additional details.

EARLIER STORY: You can still smell the charred remains from a Friday night house fire on Hollyfield Road in Rocky Mount. The family of eight that lived there faces a challenging road.

“We lost absolutely everything. We walked away with just the clothes on our back. Two of my boys walked out with no shoes; one of my sons wasn’t even really dressed. We lost it all,” said Nakisha Ramsey.

Ramsey has five boys and a girl, ranging from 11 to 20 years old. She has raised all six in the home. Ramsey’s seven-month-old granddaughter was also living with them.

“We’ve lost our memories; we’ve lost everything that we’ve cherished. We feel displaced and lost.”

A home that only now exists in memories. The situation unfolded inside 18-year-old Rayquan Ramsey’s room.

“I hear firecrackers go off in my corner and I knew that wasn’t right. I keep on having the same picture of the fire starting.”

While support from the Red Cross and local churches has helped, they are desperately searching for a place to rent as they know their hotel days are limited.

“We have faith that this is going to have a great outcome even though we lost it all. But if anybody can help us, reach out to us, if you know a place that is rentable, please let us know.”

WDBJ7 reached out to Franklin County Public Safety to learn more about the fire investigation, but did not hear back.

The Ramseys have setup a GoFundMe account you can find here. Nakisha Ramsey can be reached at (540)-493-1572.

Physical donations can be taken to 190 Bland Street in Rocky Mount. You can find each child’s name and size for clothing items below:

Lashea

• Women’s Large T-Shirt
• Sweatpants Medium/Large
• Shoe Size 9

Rayquan

• Men’s Medium Pants
• Men’s Large Shirt
• Shoe Size 11

Nyaleei

• Men’s Medium Pants
• Men’s Large Shirt
• Shoe Size 11

Devion

• Men’s X-Large Shirt
• Men’s Large Pants
• Shoe Size 13

Nathaniel

• Men’s Medium Shirt
• Men’s Small Pants
• Shoe Size 9.5

Nene

• Men’s Medium Shirt
• Men’s Medium Pants
• Shoe Size 8

Analia

• 6-12 month baby clothes

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