KENTWOOD, Mich. — Jennifer Diedricks and her two children were forced to jump from their second-story apartment balcony to escape a fire that broke out at the Breton Court Apartments on October 16th.
Diedricks shared Ring doorbell video with FOX 17, showing the dramatic moments when flames blocked their exit, forcing the family to make the terrifying leap to safety.
"We heard like a big banging on the door, you know," Diedricks said. "So we hurried up, we got up, opened the door, and we saw this fire from my neighbor's apartment, and he asked us to hurry up and call 911."
The Kentwood Fire Department ruled the fire an accident, saying it started in a neighbor's apartment when a cardboard was being used as a shield to block grease splatter caught fire.
The Ring video captured a woman bringing the burning cardboard into the hallway, where the flames quickly spread.
"That's when we were gonna go out the door, and it rushed at us. That was my daughter. She screamed, 'Oh no', and hurried up and slammed the door." Diedricks said.
With their exit blocked, Diedricks and her children rushed to the balcony. The family had always discussed an emergency plan, but reality proved different.
"We always had that plan. You get your little brother, you get the animal, and then I'll get whatever else I can, and then we get out. Yeah, that's not how it goes." Diedricks said.
Standing on the balcony with flames behind them, Diedricks faced an impossible choice.
"As long as they were safe, you know, leave me up here, but I know I'm their life, and they're mine, you know. So, you know, I had no choice." Diedricks said.
A woman below the balcony called up to them.
"There was this lady down below the balcony saying, 'You guys got to jump. Just drop him to me. I'll catch him," Diedricks said. "My daughter went over, and I'm still up on the balcony. I'm like, I can't jump. I just can't. She's like, 'You gotta jump, mom.' She's like, 'I got you. So I went over.'"
Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire, but the family lost many precious belongings.
"I did everything I could to take my daughter to a Nicki Minaj concert, her favorite artist," Diedricks said. "I had gotten her a Varsity Jacket from the concert. Well, that was in her closet, and we already know everything in her room is destroyed."
While the family escaped physical harm, Diedricks worries about the emotional impact on her children.
"He had commented, well, this was our home, but now it's all burnt up and, you know? And he said, I don't want to look at the building," Diedricks said. "He might not show it, but you know, I know it hurts them."
Diedricks is currently staying at a hotel and hopes to move back into another unit in the complex by the beginning of December.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help support the family in their time of need.
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