COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — "It's like an never ending nightmare. It's all of our memories are... just gone," said Hanna Estep.
Estep and her two sons were asleep Saturday while her husband was still awake when disaster struck their southern Colorado Springs home.
"Suddenly we hear this frantic banging at our door and someone screaming, get out. Get out. Your house is on fire," said Estep.
The family of four and their four cats had lived in the home for eight years.
"It was overflowing with with love, with happy kids and happy cats," said Estep.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department says illegal use of fireworks caused the fire, and the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is investigating the incident as a potential arson. Police said no arrests have been made, and no suspect information is available.
"I just don't understand why someone would do this, something like this. It's so horrible," said Estep.
When asked what she would say to the person responsible if they were standing in front of her, Estep responded, "I'd want to know, why, why? Why us? Why did this happen? I just wanna try to understand. I keep... going over it in my head, like, did we do something?"
The family managed to escape with their lives, but not everything made it out.
"I got the kids out. I ran back after the kids were on the porch, and I grabbed my personal phone and one of the cats, and that that was all I could do," said Estep.
While the family and three of their cats survived the fire, their cat Felix is still missing. Estep says he was last seen running towards the Harrison School District 2 Administration Building along Harrison Road.
As for whether they hope to eventually return, Estep says they love that neighborhood, but want to make sure their children feel safe.
"We love that place, we love that neighborhood, we love that house, that... piece of land," Estep said.
CSPD continues its arson investigation and is asking the public for any information on potential suspects. If you find Felix, the family asks that you contact CSPD.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Housing market snapshot for Colorado Springs in June
Days on the market continue to decrease when it comes to homes in Colorado Springs as the average median sales price hit $500,000 in June.
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