Fire destroys 81-year-old Detroit woman's home while she was gone for surgery

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit family is thankful their loved one wasn't home when a fire destroyed her house early Monday.

Catherine Allen, 81, would have been at her home on Strathmoor when the fire started just before 5 a.m., but she was away for surgery.

"I get a call from my neighbor, and she said that my mom’s house is on fire," Crystal Redding said. "I’m trying not to look frantic while I’m taking her."

Redding decided not to tell her mother about the fire before the procedure.

"I didn’t want her to panic before surgery," she said.

The family believes that surgery saved her life because she most likely would have struggled to escape the house. 

"Her age, she's really not that mobile," her son-in-law Bland Redding said. "So, that really made the difference right there because I hate to think of her being there by herself. She may have panicked. She may have not even found her way out."

The family has created a GoFundMe page to help them find Allen a new home.

Fire Safety Week is in October, and if you are a Detroit resident and need a smoke detector, Detroit Fire can help.

"It’s paramount that everyone has a fire escape plan, and it starts with a smoke detector," said James Harris, the chief of community relations with the fire department. "We give them away. If you are a Detroit resident we will come and install The smoke alarm in your house free of charge, the only qualification is that you are a Detroit resident."