DENVER — The morning of Nov. 20, 2022, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Nick Menzor, his wife, Emily, and three family members were at the Menzor's southwest Denver home when the smoke alarm went off. Nick thought his wife was burning breakfast.
"She makes tortillas, and the smoke makes the alarm go off. So I thought that's what happened," recalled Nick.
But it was a real fire in one of the bedrooms. Nick tried to smother it with a towel, but the fire quickly spread.
All five people were able to scramble safely out of the house, and 911 was called. Firefighters arrived quickly, but the house could not be saved. What the fire, smoke and water did not get, the asbestos did.
The house was a total loss.
"Once we all got out of there I said, 'Thank God.' The most important things are out and that's our lives," Emily said.
Nothing is more important in the Menzor family than family. Their house had been the center of that family since the couple moved in around Christmas 1969. They raised for children there. They made 53 years of memories.
"I would watch the kids while my daughters went to work. And then the next generation, the same thing," Emily said.
The fire forced Nick and Emily to move in with their daughter and son-in-law. The family celebrated Thanksgiving there instead of in their beloved home. Two months later, the couple is still living with their daughter and son-in-law.
In November, Denver7 aired the story of the Menzor's loss, and you can probably guess how you responded. Through the Denver7 Gives fund, viewers donated $4,000 to help them.
With that money, Denver7 Gives bought new appliances for the Menzor's home, which is being rebuilt. Nick, a retired baker for King Soopers, already has plans for the new Whirlpool oven.
"I'm going to make some turnovers," he said.
With a little luck, Nick and Emily can move back into the family home in August, just in time for their 65th wedding anniversary in September. They'll also be able to celebrate Thanksgiving where they'd planned to have it last year, with a meal cooked with the new appliances you bought them.
"We are grateful. Thanks for being there for us," said Emily. "You were there when we needed the support behind us."
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