By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FOR 25 years, the Dorsett family called their Coral Heights West house home. Last Tuesday, that home was reduced to ashes in what police suspect was an arson attack, forcing the family to flee for their lives in the early hours of the morning.

The fire began around 3am when a car parked outside the residence burst into flames. Janet Dorsett told The Tribune that she and her family were asleep when a car alarm from one of her daughter’s vehicles woke them up.

The sound prompted her to check outside, where she discovered the car engulfed in flames. She quickly alerted her husband, and their two daughters rushed downstairs in a panic. The family tried to extinguish the fire, but the flames spread rapidly, forcing them to flee through the back door and over a fence before the house was fully consumed.

On the scene, Dwayne Dorsett told The Tribune he was grateful that he, his wife, and daughters escaped unharmed. He said the home was insured and the family hopes to rebuild.

Following the fire, Mrs Dorsett’s daughter, Jodi Dorsett, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her family recover. The fundraiser aims to raise $100,000 to cover immediate living essentials, temporary transportation, relocation expenses, replacement of personal and professional belongings, and long-term rebuilding.

“Early Tuesday morning, my family’s home of 25 years in Coral Heights was completely destroyed in a fire. By the grace of God, all four of them made it out safely, but they lost everything,” Ms Dorsett wrote on the GoFundMe page.

“I wasn’t in the home when it happened, but this is the house I grew up in. A place built from years of sacrifice, love, and hard work. Watching my family lose everything in a matter of minutes has been heartbreaking. Every room was filled with memories, and now they’re left trying to rebuild their lives from nothing.”

“We’re still trying to process the emotional toll, but the immediate needs are overwhelming — clothes, shoes, hygiene items, housing, and emotional support.”

As of press time, the fundraiser had raised more than $19,800 toward its $100,000 goal.

Police said they were alerted shortly after 3am to a vehicle fire at a residence on Roberts Drive, Coral Heights West. When Fire Services arrived, the entire house and four vehicles were ablaze. Despite efforts to control the flames, the home and vehicles were destroyed.

Police reported they are still searching for a suspect, who was last seen wearing a white shirt and black trousers and is believed to have set one of the vehicles on fire.

The Dorsett family said they have no idea what the motive could have been, noting that they had lived a peaceful life before the incident.