Oklahoma ICU Nurse Learns Her House Burned Down While Caring for Critically Ill COVID-19 Patient

An ICU nurse working 12-hour shifts on the front lines of COVID-19 lost her home to a devastating fire. Tina Irwin was putting a patient on life support when a neighbor called to tell her that her home outside Oklahoma City was on fire.

The neighbors also called 911. Irwin frantically called one of her kids.

“It was the most bloodcurdling scream. And she just kept yelling, ‘Mom! Mom!’ and then the phone went dead,” Irwin told Inside Edition.

She raced home to find a grim scene: her house was all but gone.

“I was thinking the worst. I thought maybe one of my kids was on fire,” Irwin said.

Thankfully, the children — Justin, Jalyn, Jayna and Brooklyn — were all safe. But now the family has no home, just five days before Christmas. The family was only able to save “what we had on our backs and what we had in our vehicles,” Irwin said.

They have been staying in a hotel. Another person who will be out of town for Christmas offered to let them spend the holiday in their living room around their tree, Irwin said.

Despite everything, Iwrin said she's just grateful for the messages of support she's received and the fact that her kids are OK.

“When you're left with nothing, it's a true blessing to have amazing kids,” Irwin said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family recover from the loss.

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