Widowed mother of 6 loses everything in Garden City house fire

GARDEN CITY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Krista Stapleton and her best friend were taking in the sights and sounds of the Faster Horses Festival in Brooklyn, Michigan.

She was hours away from her Garden City home when she learned it had caught fire.

"We were enjoying the concerts enjoying the fun (and) all of a sudden three of my neighbors were calling me at the same time," Stapleton said. "She said 'Your house is on fire' so my friend and I left the concert as quickly as we could."

Stapleton, a school teacher and mom of six, got back home to Garden City panicked.

"Because my animals were there and our life is there," she said.

Fortunately, Krista’s kids were with family and friends when the fire broke out, but it damaged more than just her home - it’s also where her business "Crafted Creations by Krista"  was located.

"I create cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, (and) cookies for events, birthdays, weddings," she said.

But the fire has paused production and additional income for this small business entrepreneur.

"The kitchen is completely gone, one of our cats did not make it," she said.

But as Stapleton waited for updates from fire crews at the scene - she was also worried for her husband’s cremated remains.

"My husband passed away two years ago of brain cancer and his ashes were in there," she said. "A firefighter went back in there and that room was on fire, and he went in and grabbed him out for me."

Stapleton says she’s grateful his remains were saved.

"Not only does it mean everything to me," she said. "My kids would have been devastated if they did not have their dad with us."

A GoFundMe has been started on behalf of the family and she says the money will be used to get the family back on track.

"To get all the necessary things for school that are coming up, shoes, clothing, all my kids' sports equipment," she said.

Fire officials say the cause of the fire remains under investigation. For now, Stapleton says she will focus on working to find a new home.

"I will always be there for my kids and show them that you can come out of anything," she said. "So with our church, family, friends and community helping us I think we will be as good as we can be again."

If you would like to donate, click here for the GoFundMe.