WINFIELD, Mo. — A family saw flames spewing out of a neighbor's home in Winfield, so a couple of teenagers ran to bang on the door to alert them to the fire.
Grace Williams, who is 12, was at home but had no idea there was a fire until her neighbor came knocking.
That neighbor was John Belt III, who is 15. His father, John Belt II, said he heard the explosion in the garage when his son had pulled up on his bicycle with some friends.
"We was all hollering at them to get out the house," said Belt II, who said he tried to put out the fire unsuccessfully.
He said his son helped tremendously.
"The kids quick thinking and without them it might have been a different outcome," said Belt II.
Grace said her dog, Drake, tugged her to get out of the house immediately.
"He's amazing. We wouldn't trade him for the world," said Natalie Williams, who is Grace's mom, about their four-year-old lab.
The mom of Natalie's boyfriend, Chris, was also inside the home. She got out with Chris's dog Molly.
In the midst of the chaos, Molly ran back into the home. Family members said they think it was because she was afraid someone was still inside.
Molly, who family members said was a Chihuahua mixed with a Dachshund, died in the fire.
Natalie said they buried Molly at their home.
"It will always be Molly's home," she said.
She said now, they have to look for another place to live. The house is a total loss. They did not have insurance on their rent-to-own home, where a portion of their rent went toward a down payment to buy the house.
"You look in your house and you see everything in your house, we don't have," she said, adding they salvaged a few things but otherwise, it was just the clothes on their back.
Natalie is a teacher's aide at Hawthorn Elementary. Previously, she served in the Navy. Natalie said she lost one of her eyes during a boating accident while serving and medically retired. Her boyfriend, Chris, is a painter.
They are looking for all the help they can get. The family set up a GoFundMe page.
Additionally, neighbors like Travis Todd are collecting donations on behalf of the family.
"The neighborhood has been absolutely awesome," he said, referencing to the bags of donations he already had stored.
Now, neighbors are planning to hold multiple benefits in October for the family.
It wasn't just Winfield helping out the Williams family. It spread beyond. A woman in Manchester who never met Natalie.
Lori Kibler works with Natalie's sister, saw a post on social media and said she had to do something.
"It made me immediately reflect on a situation with my own family, my own sister," Kibler said.
Kibler's sister lost everything from Hurricane Katrina.
"Me being in the position where I had some extra furniture, I felt it was the right gesture to pay it forward and give what I had," she said.
The Williams were able to get a standing desk, a washing machine and a dryer all for free.
Natalie Williams said it's not going unnoticed.
"It's just crazy to see the good in people," she said.