Christmas Tree Fire Sparks Christmas Spirit in Flint, Michigan

It was an ordinary day for Jared Alexander of Flint, Michigan. The holiday season was approaching and him and his family were preparing their house for the festivities that come along with Christmas. Their 4 bedroom home lit up the sky with lights and an inflatable snowman in the front yard. However, they weren't prepared for the unexpected.

Yesterday, December 6th, a fuse blew in the house. Jared thought nothing of it. He went down to the basement to fix the fuse and restore power to the section that lost it. When he returned back upstairs, he found his wife trying to put out a small fire that started at the site of the electrical outlets where the tree had been placed.

His wife Marie tried to contain the small fire. But the small fire quickly turned into a raging blaze that burned the entire side of the house. Lost in the fire were the Christmas gifts purchased for their two children of ages 8 and 10, the Christmas tree, and the family room designed for entertainment.

Just about three weeks from Christmas, the married couple of ten years, had no idea where to even start repairing their home, or their holiday spirit.

It was until later that night when they were packing to go stay at a hotel when an unexpected visitor arrived at their door.

Jerry Wright is a retired lawyer and a good friend of the Alexander family. He has lived in Flint for six years after coming home from Florida to take care of his now 95 year old mother. As a lawyer, he was financially stable at a young age after completing law school and made a sustantial living for himself. Jerry would come to the family's rescue.

"He offered for us and our two children to stay with him for a while because he has the extra room and we've been friends for many years," says Jared, the grateful retail manager.

"It wasn't an option. When something as serious as a house fire takes place, there's not a lot you can really do for someone especially emotionally," the lawyer of 25 years said.

But this wasn't the only surprise he had for the small family. Insurance would cover most of the damage caused by the fire to the home. After budgeting his money for the month, he handed a $5,000 check to the Alexanders to make sure their children would have a Christmas to remember.

"It's the holiday season. Kids should get to enjoy Christmas morning. I remember when I was a kid waking up and getting to open presents. It was about getting cool gifts and spending time with the family and it wasn't so commercial," Wright exclaimed.

"They're a great family who try to live the American dream lifestyle. They struggle like everyone else in Flint, but I felt they deserved the money to make sure they had a great holiday."

"We didn't know what to do. How do you accept something like that?" Marie said with tears in her eyes.

The generous offering was a result of Jerry's own experience as a child with a fire.

"When I was 17 our house burned down to the ground. Our stove caught on fire and set our kitchen a blaze," he recalled of the tragic event as a teen.

"I just really felt for the family. They've lived down the street from me since I moved here and have always been the kindest of people."

"This is definately a Christmas miracle," Lakendra, 10, says.

The fire's estimated damages came to nearly $30,000, including the personal items such as the TV and sound system installed in the entertainment room.

"We don't know how we could ever thank Jerry. Our kids would not have had any Christmas without him."