# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C4tV9EkPGbc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72590586-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/4668bf0c59.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-03-19T20:01:12.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

On Jan. 19, Ashley Metcalfe’s life was forever changed. 

Her family experienced a home fire, losing all of their personal belongings and the place they called home. 

Ashley remembers the day vividly when the smell of smoke jolted her awake around 4 a.m. She frantically ran around the house to find the source of the fire, only to later learn the fire had started in the apartment next to hers. 

The local fire department battled the blaze for several hours, while Ashley and her partner Arnold stood in the cold with their neighbors. Thankfully, her three children were staying the night with her sister when the fire broke out. 

When Ashley and Arnold were allowed back into their home, they found everything submerged in water.

“Once we got back inside our unit — being the basement unit — it was flooded in about 5 or 6 feet of water,” Ashley said. “Everything we have — appliances, TVs, mattresses, our bed frames, clothes — every single thing we owned, we lost it all. Everything is gone.”

It was an emotionally and financially tolling time for them as they reached out to multiple emergency services seeking assistance. They began to lose hope until they were connected with the RedCrossIL. Volunteers helped them secure a place to stay and provided them with additional financial assistance for gas, a security deposit for their temporary apartment, and school uniforms for their children.

“You don’t know how impactful even that was because when it felt like the world was caving in, it was only the Red Cross that helped us,” Ashley said. “We are more than grateful. We owe the Red Cross more than our lives.” ❤️

Every eight minutes we help someone affected by a disaster. Help us make a difference in the lives of those impacted by lending your support on Red Cross Giving Day. Tap the button to donate. #HelpCantWait 

#RedCross #HomeFire #Illinois #DisasterRelief

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## Tags

helpcantwait, illinois, homefire, redcross, disasterrelief

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