parents of 9 children, they lose everything after a fire

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“We all lost in less than two hours,” says Laëtitia Morel. While with her husband Christophe, they had been owners for nine years in Derval (Loire-Atlantique), the life of their family has completely changed Monday December 16, 2024when a fire destroyed their house. Parents of nine childrenthey throw a call to find a house.

SOS in Loire-Atlantique: parents of 9 children, they lose everything after a fire

This day was supposed to go normally. Some of the couple’s children, college students, had come home at midday for lunch. The latter returned to class around 1:40 p.m. Christophe Morel and his wife Laëtitia returned less than two hours lateraround 3:20 p.m. But there, it was a tragedy.

“We had barely arrived when we saw smoke. Luckily, the fire went out on its own, due to lack of oxygen. Firefighters and experts intervened to secure the scene and prevent any new fires,” explains the mother.

According to the first assessments, the fire would be caused by radiation from the pellet stove, which would have caught fire on a piece of clothing placed nearby. The fire then spread to the table and the rest of the ground floor.

If the concrete floor did not allow the flames to rise higher and reach the upper floor, the smoke was enough to invade and destroy the entire home.

“The windows are cracked, the ceiling is peeling off, the kitchen furniture is coming loose, all the clothes are black, the shutters have melted,” describes Christophe Morel.

A wave of solidarity

It made nine years they lived in this houseof which they had become owners. A house which contained the memories of this happy family with their nine children aged 4 to 18.

A few days before Christmas and the school holidays, we had to quickly find a solution for accommodation. It’s in theformer dormitory of Saint-Donatien college that they were generously welcomed.

We have something, that’s the main thing. They even offered a playroom for children. But it’s not as convenient as a house, with the kitchen more than 150 meters away and the showers 100 meters away.

A wave of solidarity was put in place to help the large family. L’parents association notably opened an online fundraiser to collect donations for the family. They have also collected toysfor the children, who have lost everything.

For clothing, Derval thrift storeneighbors and parents of students also made donations to them.

“At school, the children were also able to see a psychologist. One of our youngest kept saying “my house burned down”. He understood what was happening,” says the mother.

Looking for a house

Now the couple just wants one thing: to find a home for their family. “We are looking for a house, preferably in the town of Dervalto allow children to easily go to high school, middle school and primary school and return to eat at lunch. Which also allows them to go to sport,” declares the father.

Not to mention that their two oldest children are firefighters and must live less than 15 minutes from the station.

They then launch a call to find a house, with at least four bedrooms and a living room separate from the kitchenwhich can be used as a bedroom. “We want to find accommodation quickly, so that our children can be in the best conditions. We have our elders who have to study for the Bac,” adds Laëtitia Morel.

Insurance companies are slow to act

For the Morels, the year ends as badly as it began. Indeed, at the start of 2024, Laëtitia Morel had to get treatment for cancer. Her husband, Christophe, then had to become unemployed to accompany him during the treatments. Today Laëtitia is in remission and her husband hoped to return to temporary work. It was without counting on this new drama.

To this are also added the inactive insurance in their situation. “Normally the insurance companies told us that they would pay part of the lost items and that we would have an emergency envelope to release. But we’re still waiting. We have to move forward with everything,” says the husband.

This is how they had to settle 6 000 € hors taxes de pressing to save the few clothes they had left.

“It’s also up to us to manage to empty the house, to empty each of the cupboards filled with soot,” he adds. Every day since the fire, wearing gloves and masksthey gather their mental strength and their physical strength to empty what was their family cocoon.

They hope that the catastrophic year that has just passed will soon be behind them and that 2025 will make their wish come true: find a new house to accommodate them and their nine children.

Link to the online prize pool to support the family.

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