FENTON, Mo. – A Fenton family of 11 has had more than its share of tragedies. In 2015 and 2017, their home was flooded. And now they’re facing the worst of all: a fire destroyed the Hanlon family home.
“You have to go through sacrifice. This is one of the sacrifices we have to go through,” said Tim Hanlon. “We’re good; we’ll be fine.”
Hanlon said he’s relying on his faith, family, friends, and complete strangers to survive this latest challenge – a fire that began in the garage and spread quickly through their home.
Tim, his wife, and their five boys and four girls, were at a lake celebrating Father’s Day when they got word of the fire. They do have insurance but you never know how much that will cover. People were being very generous, offering help in any way they could.
“Everything helps and we are just deeply appreciative and unbelievably thankful,” Hanlon said.
Barb Kurkowski lives in the same subdivision.
“We helped raise our four grandsons so we’ve been around children and we know how important it is to have somebody come out and help,” she said.
Family video of the Hanlon kids and friends shows them celebrating the Stanley Cup victory last week in their home before the fire. The kids love to play hockey on the driveway. Their net was burned but they still have some of their equipment, while everything else was charred.
Fire officials think the cause of the fire was electrical but it’s still under investigation. The fire chief believes the home is a total loss.
Two major floods and a fire in four years are huge challenges but right now, Hanlon said he’s overwhelmed by the kindness of so many people.
“My family is appreciative of everything and with that support, we’re going to be alright.” He said.
A GoFundMe account has been established for the family of 11. The children are aged 14 months to 12 years of age.
