Less than two weeks before Christmas of 2015, a fire broke out at a home on VOA Road in Washington.

The Moore family’s house was decimated, and two of them were transported to the hospital with burns, with 38-year-old Shamika Moore eventually being sent to the hospital in Chapel Hill.

Since then, the family of seven — Florence Moore, 56; Shamika Moore, 38; Sequoia Moore, 13; Zabion Smallwood, 11; Antwan Jackson, 3; Quintin Moore, 36; Jessica, 30 — has had their lives turned upside down. According to friend Queen Windley, they are now all residing in one room at the Sunset Inn Motel, and while it’s not an ideal situation, Windley is doing all she can to help.

The most pressing needs include financial support for necessities such as meals and clothes, medications delivered and assistance related to the burn injuries, she said.

Windley said Shamika Moore still travels to the hospital in Chapel Hill once a month for therapy, and paying for travel costs is difficult. Moore also has some problems with using her hands after the burn injuries.

Jessica Moore said the past few months have been difficult for her family, but they are trying to do the best they can. She said the American Red Cross gave them a donation to cover the hotel room for a while, but now the family relies on Florence Moore’s disability check.

“We have insurance, but it wasn’t for the fire or nothing like that,” Jessica Moore said. “We’ve been living at the motel since it happened.”

The plan now is to save up enough money to find a new, more permanent place to live, she said.

Moore said she is also looking for a job to help bring in more money, as well as reaching out to the Department of Social Services for any help it can provide.

But while it has been a challenge, she said she is just grateful that everyone made it out alive.

“I’m just thankful that we made it out and everybody was OK,” Moore said. “I thank everybody for the prayers and support for my family.”

For more information about the Moore family’s needs, call 252-362-1939, or checks can be made payable to Jessica Moore, P.O. Box 1416, Washington.