The aftermath of the fire that left a Virginia teacher and her family scrambling.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A Virginia teacher and her young family is starting the new school year in survival mode after a fast-moving fire tore through their apartment building, destroying nearly everything they own just days before classes begin.

Around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, Heather Bordelon Harbin was forced to evacuate with other residents in her building when lanscaping outside caught fire, likely due to a cigarette butt discarded into the bushes.

The flames rapidly spread to the rest of the home, working its way through the side of the building, to the ceiling, roof, and into the attic.

Harbin, who works at Mountain View Christian Academy, said everyone in the building made it out safely, but their top-floor unit suffered “extensive water and smoke damage.”

“The firemen did have to come through the roof of the building and tear out all of our ceiling and insulation to make sure the fire was extinguished,” Harbin said. 

“We grabbed a few things that we needed for tonight and headed over to my mom and dad‘s house where we will probably be living for the next many months.”

She said the apartment complex will have to rebuild the top floor. 

“That’s probably going to take a while,” Harbin wrote, adding that they now begin the process of “filing everything with insurance and getting everything replaced.”

According to a GoFundMe started by family friend Tara Kennedy, “the Harbin family has lost nearly everything outside of a few items they were able to quickly grab before leaving due to the extensive water and smoke damage.”

The fundraiser says donations will help cover “new clothes, meals, potential lodging, school supplies, etc.” while the family works through the insurance process."

Kennedy noted the loss came “with less than two weeks before school starts.”

In an update to friends, Harbin thanked the community for reaching out and explained the next steps. 

“We are still waiting for approval from the insurance company to begin removing items,” she said a day after the blaze. “Once we get that approval, we will have to move all of our possessions out of the apartment, both the salvageable items and the things that are going to the dump.”

She also laid out a plan for those wanting to help physically: “Box up salvageable items (mostly kitchenware, household appliances, Michael’s collectibles)… throw non-salvageable items out the window/off the balcony into the dump truck provided… load up a truck or two with the salvageable items to bring to my parents’ basement for storage.”

Harbin warned volunteers offering to help her, “There is no electricity or AC, so it will be hot! Work gloves and masks recommended… closed-toe shoes or boots recommended as the floor is covered in wet mucky insulation.”

The GoFundMe had drawn dozens of donations in its first day, raising nearly $6,000.

“Please continue to keep the Harbin family in your prayers and all the other families affected by this,” Kennedy wrote.