MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Remnants of Dakota Mitchell's Muskegon home are scattered throughout her yard. It's a devastating reminder of becoming homeless on New Year's Eve.
Mitchell shared the rental with her three children.
"I run out to my living room and my whole backside of my couch is on fire," said Mitchell. "I pushed the chair from the wall and I get my boys."
Video taken by Austin Hruskach on New Year's Eve shows thick smoke coming from both homes of the shared duplex.
At one point, a first responder can be seen giving a cat oxygen as crews continue to work putting the fire out.
While her neighbor's cat was safe, Mitchell said hers didn't make it.
"She wasn't even a year old yet," said Mitchell. "I couldn't find her in the fire and the dispatch, I was calling her name from the window and the dispatcher said you 'Ma'am, you got to get away from your house. It might blow, there's gas lines in there.' So I couldn't get... No, I couldn't get my cat."
Mitchell had just moved to the Muskegon area earlier in the year.
"I had just moved back from North Carolina, not even a year ago to get my life back and like, restart over I had really nothing," said Mitchell.
"I just want to thank my community for being behind me and my babies backs and everyone who's donated, shared the GoFundMe, gave my babies clothes, diapers, wipes, said Mitchell. "All of it, like I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. "
The Muskegon Township Fire Department said they do not know the cause of the fire.
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