BALTIMORE — A home on Dudley Avenue, in the Belair-Edison neighborhood, was destroyed in an overnight fire Thursday.
Victory Swift-Gyenyame, affectionately known in the community as "Mama Victory," is no stranger to tragedy.
In 2017, her youngest child was murdered in the city. Now she's lost her home.
Mama Victory said a roommate woke her up about the smell of burning around 4am.
"As I came down the steps the smoke was very thick, so I immediately started holding my breath and when I got to the bottom of the steps the flames were in the window, the air conditioner had caught fire, and we barely got out with our lives."
Fortunately a mother and father dog survived, but sadly their three-week old litter of 11 puppies didn't make it.
While the fire took almost everything, Mama Victory was left with tears of joy, as supportive neighbors came out in force, dropping off clothing and other essentials.
The fire also left two other homes damaged. An investigation is underway to determine the cause.
A GoFundMe was created to help Mama Victory and her roommate recover from the fire.
