A local family of five is starting out the New Year with nothing after a fire destroyed their duplex over the weekend.
"Everything is gone, gone," said Mary Banks, who'd lived in the Padgett Isle duplex in Pahokee for seven years.
Banks says all firefighters were able to save was a few photos of her young daughters.
"It's like starting over, completely over," Banks said. "When you had basically everything you needed, you know, it's sad. It's all gone."
Banks, her boyfriend and her three daughters are currently staying in a motel room in Royal Palm Beach, thanks to the American Red Cross, but only for a couple of more days. They'll be on their own after that. The mother of three says she's struggling to find a new home for her girls because the cost of living is so high.
"They want to go home, somewhere," she said, "It's hard right now."
The family has set up a GoFundMe page, for anyone interested in helping with the cost of new clothes and other necessities.