'At 5 a.m. I had a life, and at 5:30 a.m. I didn't': Community reaches out after Destin worker's home burns (PHOTOS)

“At 5 a.m. I had a life, and at 5:30 a.m. I didn’t,” said Angie Turner, who lost everything in a fire at her Niceville home.

Turner, who works at the Hard Rock Café in Destin, was asleep when she was awakened on Aug. 10 by her doorbell at about 5 a.m. She didn’t get up to answer the door, but about five minutes later she leaped out of bed when she began to smell smoke. After checking her home, Turner got back into bed, having seen no evidence of a fire.

The smell grew stronger, and a few minutes later she checked the house again. As she opened the front door, she was met by a gust of fire.

“My first reaction was sheer panic,” Turner said.

Her initial response was to tell her friend, who had spent the night at her home, to call 911. Then she got her dogs, two shitzus named Toby and Voodoo, out of the burning house.

“I ran around grabbing everything I could find, but somehow I forgot to get my cat,” Turner said tearfully. “That’s the worst thing.”

Turner’s cat, Merlyn, was found the next day. He died from smoke inhalation. Turner’s other pets, Steve Jr., a turtle named after Steve Irwin, and Coy Boy, a coy fish, were found alive in the home after the fire had been put out and Turner was allowed to return.

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To see more photos of the home after the fire, click here.

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Fire engines from Niceville, East Niceville, North Bay and Eglin Air Force Base fire departments arrived at the scene and put out the fire within about 12 minutes of being called, according to Turner. While the response of firefighters was quick, Turner said everything was lost in the fire. What didn’t burn was destroyed by water damage.

“All I have are the clothes in my car and the clothes on my back,” Turner said. “Nothing was salvageable.”

Turner, who has been staying with a friend since the fire, said she’s getting by thanks to the support of people around her and the community.

Dalton Dooly, 19, who founded Gulf Coast Disaster Relief Team, an organization that provides a place to rest and relax to disaster relief workers, found out about Turner’s story through her foster daughter, Brandi Johaningsmeier, 21, of Destin. Johaningsmeier, who used to work with Turner at the Hard Rock Café in Destin, met Dooly through his brother, who also worked at the restaurant.

After hearing about the tragedy, Dooly created Operation Guardian Angel to assist Turner by reaching out to the community for donations of gift cards, furniture, clothes, and other goods. According to Dooly, the response so far has been good. He has received numerous gift cards in the mail as well as donations of furniture and clothing.

“I’ve always had a need — and I probably get this from my mom — to help,” Dooly said when asked what compelled him to help create Operation Guardian Angel on Turner’s behalf.

Dooly said that now that Operation Guardian Angel is up and running, it will continue to provide assistance to people facing tragedy.

While Turner is beginning to pick up the pieces and start over, she said she doesn’t think she’ll ever be the same again.

“I’m maybe a little traumatized,” Turner said. “Nobody deserves to lose their life in 30 minutes.”

The Niceville Fire Department is investigating the fire, which is believed to be arson. No other information regarding possible suspects or motive is available at this time.