Family of 16 escapes fire that destroyed Marietta home

The family lost their Horseshoe Bend Road home and all their belongings in the massive blaze, which broke out about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, the news station reported. Victoria Natt said it looks like the fire started in the back of the house, near the room 20-year-old Tyrell Natt shares with his brothers.

But Tyrell was not sleeping in his room that night, he told Channel 2. He and some of his siblings fell asleep in the living room after watching a movie. He was the first to smell the smoke.

“By the time I woke up, I could barely breathe," he said. “... I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do, so I started just waking up my siblings and just got everybody out of the house.”

Everyone hurried outside, only to realize no one grabbed their 5-day-old baby sister. Tevares Natt headed back inside the burning home in the dark with nothing but a lighter.

The lighter went out, and Tevares Natt “had to feel around,” Victoria Natt said. “She made some type of noise and he got out of there in the nick of time. Because when he came out, flames were all we see. Front door melted.”

Victoria and her baby girl were taken to Children’s Hospital of Atlanta at Scottish Rite to be checked out and were soon released. The Red Cross is helping with temporary housing, but Keisha Crawford said she wanted to do more for the family.

Crawford has taught some of the Natt children at Hollydale Elementary.

The school is helping to collect donations and clothing as the Natt family prepares to spend the Thanksgiving holiday without their home. Still, with all her children safe, Victoria Natt said they are “blessed.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family start over. On Monday afternoon, after just two days, the campaign exceeded its original $10,000 goal. A new goal of $25,000 was set.