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'Nothing left': Utah family loses belongings after RV goes up in flames on Christmas night

Posted at 10:58 AM, Dec 26, 2023
and last updated 2023-12-26 20:32:53-05

WEST JORDAN, Utah — A West Jordan family is picking up the pieces a day after the RV they call home caught fire Christmas night.

Kelly Zeeman says she and her husband were out to dinner Monday night celebrating the holiday when she says they got a call from a neighbor that their RV was on fire.

When they finally got home, she says the RV, which also doubles as their mode of transportation, was torched.

"Just flames coming from the very back — the back completely exploded," said Zeeman.

Zeeman showed FOX 13 News the inside of the RV, where most of their belongings were damaged.

"Everything we owned — clothes, computers, paperwork, identification, picture frames," said Zeeman.

The West Jordan Fire Department responded to the fire and got it under control.

While Zeeman and her husband weren't home at the time the blaze broke out, she says their dog Sky was.

"She almost got killed. They put an oxygen mask on her for about a half an hour and she revived, but yeah, she's still in pretty bad condition," said Zeeman. "She is in the ICU right now and she's in critical condition, but we're hoping and praying it's going be OK."

The American Red Cross, which has volunteers on standby 24/7 every day of the year, had two volunteers come out around 8 p.m. to assist Zeeman and her husband.

"These two volunteers that were trained and ready to go, they were able to step up and help them in that hardest time that they had to deal with," said Benjamin Donner, the executive director of the American Red Cross of Central and Southern Utah Chapter.

The Red Cross says those volunteers ensured that Zeeman and her husband had access to essential items, like food and clothing, replacement of prescription medicines and a safe place to stay.

"We help the individuals or families in the moment to make sure that they have a place to stay, that they have their immediate needs met, but we also have case workers that will continue and help them going forward to make sure that that what's next step is met depending on what the disaster looks like," said Donner.

Zeeman says she is thankful they weren't home or injured in the blaze.

"I mean, material things can always be replaced," said Zeeman.

The family has started a GoFundMe as they work to get back on their feet after the fire.