NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- One man is dead and a family is without a home after a major fire on Friday.
The New Iberia Police Department said they responded to a call about flames coming from a home on Elizabeth Street just before midnight Friday. When they arrived, they found a 74-year-old man dead inside of his home.
The victim's daughter, Inga Dorsey, identified the victim as 74-year-old Victor Cola Jr.
Marissa Jones said she and her family were alerted by one of their neighbors that their house was on fire.
"At first we thought that it was a gunshot, so we didn't really think nothing of it," Jones said. "Just, 'Okay, that happened,' then I would say about 10:30 we got woken up, it sounded like fireworks."
Jones says she and her husband quickly awoke their three children and were able to evacuate their home safely.
"After that, when we came outside and we saw the big flame, I think that's when everything set in, my whole body just went numb," Jones said.
Jones says as of now, their home is unfit to live in.
"The whole roof is done," she said. "The only thing is that certain spots of the house caved in. That really took a big blow to us, and my husband's car because that was his daily driver to get to work."
Jones says she wants to remind homeowners about the importance of having an escape plan, following a fire that she says she's never experienced until now.
"If something like that happens, please think of a plan beforehand, just to say what if, so you can have an escape route or something, please think about that first, you never know," Jones said.
Jones and her family have set up a GoFundMe to help pay for damages to their home and to help pay for funeral expenses for their neighbor.
