WALKER, Mich. — A Kent County couple says they still can't believe what happened to them. The home they bought in the spring was destroyed by a fire before they could even move in.
Mandy and Jake Robbins have been married less than a year.
"Back in October 2022," says Jake.
They bought their first home in Standale a couple months ago.
They'll never get to live in it.
"Seeing it after knowing how much work we did and how it's just, like, gone," says Mandy. "It's just so much work, you know?"
The couple woke up to several missed calls Wednesday morning. After they finally got ahold of a relative, they learned the bad news.
"He's like, nobody died, but your house burned down," says Mandy.
They hadn't moved in because they were making renovations. Their bird, Nigel, the main reason they weren't there yet.
"If they breathe in anything that is remotely toxic, it could, like, kill them," says Mandy.
They say that's what possibly saved their lives.
"We probably would have been sleeping here," she says.
Neighbors who were nearby at the time told the Robbins they heard small explosions, which they believe launched a frying pan into the yard.
"All of our kitchen stuff is gone," says Mandy.
And that wasn't the only thing lost.
"My wedding ring was in the bathroom," she says. "My wedding dress was in the sunroom."
Things Mandy is devastated she'll never get back.
"It's more sentimental things, not necessarily, like, dollar value, but things that I definitely didn't want to get lost," she says.
While fire crews work to determine what caused the fire, the Robbins are seeking kitchenware and clothes, almost all of those they owned were destroyed. There is also a GoFundMe online for the couple, which you can find by clicking here.
They hope that with the family and community help they've already began to receive, they'll be able to eventually begin the married life they've dreamed of.
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