Single mother of 3 loses everything after power line falls causing house fire

It's not safe to go inside Lisa Swihart’s home after a devastating fire and the effort to extinguish it, left it damaged with holes in the floor and walls, burned beams and smoke damage.

"I can’t sleep, I’m just very stressed out." she said.

Swihart says Wednesday afternoon she was running an errand when she received the call that changed everything.

"I got a call from the neighbor and she told me, 'Do you know your house is on fire?'" she said.

The strong winds during Wednesday's storm knocked a power line down on her gas meter and sent her entire house up in flames.

Lisa says the whole house was engulfed.

"They tried their best to save it," she said. "They cut open the front of the house and had 2 firehoses going from this side to this side."

"I can’t breathe because I don’t have my breathing treatment with me," said her son Sam.

Lisa’s youngest, 7-year-old Sam, lost the medicine he needs for his asthma that was inside, along with so many of his belongings - as well as his mom’s and two siblings who are 16 and 17 years old.

"I don’t know because my shirts and my pants are burned," Sam said. "My mom’s stuff was in there, but all my mom's stuff got burned down."

Lisa says she lost her job because of the pandemic. She’s also been taking Sam back and forth to hospital visits and she didn’t have insurance on her home because she couldn’t afford it. She is in the south area of Dearborn Heights that floods often.

"I had to pick and choose either car insurance or house insurance, I didn’t think this would happen," she said.

Her father and brother have passed away.

"We have no family, nowhere to go."

The Red Cross is helping her with a hotel stay, but that will run out in a matter of days.

"They did recommend some homeless shelters, but with school starting up I am not sure how that’s going to work out," she said.

Lisa Swihart and her 7-year-old son, Sam.

Lisa Swihart and her 7-year-old son, Sam. 

"I’m just hoping that someone can help with something, so I can get this damage fixed and maybe get back in the house."

"I hope we get it fixed."