ICU nurse on pandemic frontlines loses house in fire just days before Christmas

An ICU nurse in Oklahoma lost her house this week in a fire, getting the dreaded call as she worked on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Local ABC affiliate KOCO 5 News reports that Tina Irwin, an ICU nurse at Mercy Hospital, was on a shift when her neighbor called to tell her that her home was on fire. Irwin has been working 12-hour days at the hospital since the pandemic began earlier this year. 

Irwin, a single mother, said her children were at home when the blaze erupted.

“I got a hold of my daughter … the terrifying scream. Never heard a scream like this,” Irwin told KOCO 5 of the phone call with her daughter before she made it home. “The flames were … I couldn’t believe. I’m a single mom and just walking up and everything gone.”

She was able to save a few items, including photos and her daughter’s graduation cap.

“And a movie — Ladder 49. I thought that was ironic,” Irwin told the outlet.

Irwin’s son was able to get his sisters and their pets out of the house safely.

The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire. A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.

“They will need the basic necessities for the next couple of weeks, but if we could bless her family financially, any amount would help while they pick up the pieces, especially during this holiday season,” the GoFundMe reads.