A Bronx woman returned home from the inauguration of President Barack Obama Tuesday night to discover her Williamsbridge home was destroyed by a five-alarm fire.
?I went into shock,? says Joyce Wilson. ?My body was there, but I wasn't.?
Wilson says she had been looking forward to the inauguration for months and even slept in her car for three days to witness the swearing-in of the first African-American president. However, while Wilson was celebrating in Washington, D.C., she received a call from her son, telling her that nothing was left of her East 213 Street home.
?Everything I?ve owned all my life is gone, and it really is a new beginning for me,? Wilson says.
Fire officials say the blaze that broke out as a result of an electrical fire completely destroyed the residence at 929 East 213 St. and spread to the attached building. It took 237 firefighters two hours to get the flames under control.
Wilson says she really believes it was Barack Obama who saved her, because if she stayed, she would have been dead. Wilson adds that even though she received the devastating news on one of the happiest days of her life, being in Washington gave her all the more reason to never give up hope.
?I'm just glad to be alive,? Wilson says.
Wilson and her family are currently staying at a temporary Red Cross shelter.