Remember me
Eerie home video footage captured the terrifying moment a Georgia home filled with decorative skeletons quickly filled with thick black smoke and sent a family running for their lives.
Haylie Cooler and her family were inside their home in Rincon, about 35 minutes outside of Savannah, shortly before midnight on February 16 when something suddenly exploded, triggering an intense, dark cloud of smoke to fill the room.
The dramatic clip showed Cooler's 73-year-old step-father moments before the inferno, sitting in the living room across from another chair occupied by a giant skeleton as a TV played.
Within moments, a large flash of light and massive bang was heard as the corner of the room lit up, leaving Cooler and her family screaming in terror.
Someone was then seen rushing into another room and yelling at others about the fire, while Cooler's step-father, who suffers from dementia, seemingly didn't realize the danger unfolding.
The room quickly started to turn black as the family ran and screamed, grabbing the elderly man as they rushed outside to safety.
'Get out! Get out! Call 911!' a woman was heard panicking as she pulled the man out of the home.
The home's fire alarm then started beeping as she shouted: 'Get the cat! Get out!'
Chilling footage captured the moment a dark plume of smoke engulfed a home in Rincon, Georgia on February 16
Haylie Cooler's 73-year-old step-father is seen standing up and heading out the door as a skeleton sat across from him in the smoke-filled living room
The fire left Cooler's home, which she shared with her step-dad and autistic son, completely destroyed, she said on a GoFundMe page.
Fortunately, Cooler her family and their dogs were not injured in the fire.
Sadly, their cats went missing after the blaze. Soon after, Cooler shared that they 'physically found 1 cat deceased in [the] home.'
'The other cat is probably deceased inside as well,' she wrote.
She and her family have not only been left with ashes of a home, but they have also been dealing with several health issues and setbacks.
Cooler, who is the primary caregiver for her step-father, said her son is autistic, epileptic, and has type two diabetes.
She also just recently learned she has a lytic lesion located on the frontal lobe of her brain.
A lytic lesion is a spot of bone destruction that appears in X-rays and CT scans, meaning there is low bone density there.
Bright orange flames are seen engulfing the home that night
Everyone thankfully made it out without injury. It is unclear what caused the fire
Cooler also noted that she suffers from 'severe depression and several other health conditions.'
Before the devastating fire, she and her family were relying on a rental car because their vehicle was in the shop for months.
They said they were trying to save for a new car, but now that money will go toward finding temporary housing while they work on rebuilding the home.
'We are reaching out to our community for help because we cannot do this alone. Any support, no matter how small, would mean the world to us as we try to rebuild our lives after this tragedy,' she added.
She also shared heartbreaking photos of the hallowed and burnt home after the blaze
The home is seen behind caution tape after the fire
As of Thursday afternoon, nearly $7,000 had been raised to help the family out.
Cooler also shared heartbreaking photos of the hallowed and burnt home after the blaze.
It is unclear how exactly the fire started and what exploded before the smoke took over.
The Daily Mail contacted the Rincon Fire Department and the Rincon Police Department for comment.