South Fargo family who lost their home in murder-suicide fire launches GoFundMe

Juanita and her family had been living in the twin home since 2005.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — A family who lost their home in a south Fargo fire is speaking out after the couple in the next door twin house died in a murder suicide.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help get them back on their feet.

“It was horrible,” Juanita Kreider who lost her home says.

Juanita Kreider was sleeping in her home early Tuesday morning with her husband Glen and their daughter Paula when she was suddenly woken up by the smoke alarm.

She says she ran out of her bedroom to see fire at her patio door.

“I ran back and told my husband fire, fire, what do I do. And then, the firemen knocked on the door ‘come on, you got a fire, you got a fire.’ I said, ‘no, my husband can’t walk and my daughter’s downstairs,” Juanita said.

Her husband has Parkinson’s and her daughter has Down syndrome.

“So they ran and got them and took us back to the ambulance,” Juanita said.

Two people in the connected twin home didn’t make it out.

Police later ruled the deaths a murder-suicide.

Juanita says the only interaction they had with their neighbors was maybe a greeting if they happened to be outside.

“We never had a real conversation with them. They were kind of loners too,” Juanita said.

Juanita’s son Mike was at work and immediately left after being notified.

He says he just wanted for his family to be ok.

“That’s what I was most worried about. You know, my dad, my sister, my mom, is everyone still ok? Is there anything they need right away?” Juanita’s son Mike said.

Juanita and her family had been living in the twin home since 2005.

But what remains now resembles more a battlefield.

“If you’ve never seen what a war zone looks like, it’s pretty close to this,” Mike said.

And even though they’re grateful to be alive, the fire has left them with nothing but memories.

“From what it looks like right now, probably nothing is salvageable here and that’s what the GoFundMe page will do,” Mike said.

The online fundraiser was created by Mike’s brother Chris in hopes of getting them back some resemblance of what they had before.

“We appreciate that everybody’s so thoughtful in a time like this and they’ll be in our prayers too,” Juanita said.

Juanita, her husband and daughter are staying with family while they find a temporary location.

Here is the link to the Gofundme page.