Ypsi mom survives cancer, family loses everything in house fire

YPSILANTI, Mich. (WJBK) - An Ypsilanti mother who has already fought for her life life lost everything when her home burned to the ground.

Everything inside and around the house on Woodlawn Avenue in Ypsilanti Township is gone. A mother of four who continues to deal with a number of health conditions has to figure out a way to rebuild, after she and her family lost everything in this house fire.

Tierra Clausell, 30, is a cancer survivor and a double amputee. Her home went up in flames Tuesday morning in the 600 block of Woodlawn Avenue. The father of Tierra's children woke up her and got them out.

"We had to duck down just to get out because The flames are just coming out of the kitchen like really strong," Tierra said.

"The house, it just went up like a match," her husband, Dominic Johnson said.

Thankfully, Tierra's four children were at school during the time of the fire. That doesn't wash away the pain they're all feeling.

"I don't even know what my next step is going to be. How do you recover from losing everything? My children lost their pets. They saw their turtle, it was like melted down, it was really bad," Tierra said.

Although it's a difficult time - Tierra's mother is grateful that her daughter is alive.

"She is safe. In the frame of mind I'm in, I would've lost my daughter, my one and only, I would have been gone myself," Tierra said.

The fire appear to have started in the kitchen, but Tierra and Dominic say they did not have the stove on or candles burning. Right now - the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department is investigating to determine the cause.

The family was renting the home and did not have renter's insurance. Tierra said they couldn't afford it.

"People are probably looking at this like you should have had some type of renter's insurance, I can't really afford bills. I try to make it the best way I can," Tierra said.

The Red Cross is helping the family at this time, but they would greatly appreciate anyone who could assist in helping them rebuild their lives.