TN couple loses everything in apartment fire just days after getting engaged

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Middle Tennessee couple had just returned from a dream vacation, where they got engaged, when they lost nearly all of their belongings.

Instead of planning their wedding, they’re now starting over after a fire destroyed their home.

Naomi Baez said she was in disbelief when she was at home, settling back in, when her apartment building went up in flames.

“We grabbed the quick little important things that we could and we got out and basically just watched our apartment burn,” Naomi Baez said.

The fire started at about 4 p.m. on June 24 at the Trails Apartments off Bell Road. Naomi and her fiancé had taken an extra day off to settle in after their trip. If not for that, they would not have been home to make sure their cat, Cash, made it out safely.

“We were both home luckily… we were able to get him out. That was the first thing I grabbed. I was like, ‘Where is Cash?’” Baez said.

The couple lost nearly all of their belongings, but instead of despair, Baez said she’s overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Somebody donated us a new mattress, which was like a big financial relief. Someone sold us a couch… without all this help, like, girl, I would be crying in the corner somewhere,” Baez said.

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Now, they’re slowly rebuilding and still dreaming of the big day ahead.

“We were talking about wedding stuff, and then that kind of got put on pause to get our lives back in order,” Baez said.

They’re not alone. Eight families were displaced because of the fire. The Nashville Fire Department investigated the cause of the fire. According to the report, what sparked the flames is undetermined.

Baez says she is grateful to everyone who helped them by giving them household items or donating to their GoFundMe. The Red Cross also helped by getting families into hotels while other living arrangements were made.