Wenona Silas-Honore began smoking to ease some of the stress when her husband went to prison. That was about a year ago, but last week, the habit nearly took her life.

Late on the night of June 17, the Jeanerette woman arrived home and lay down to sleep. She said she caught a whiff of smoke walking into the house but assumed it came from an earlier cigarette or her son, who also smokes.

“The next time I raised my head up, I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I couldn’t see nothing and it was black in the house.”

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When the smoke finally cleared, Silas-Honore, 37, had lost everything. The early morning fire destroyed her St. Peter Street house Thursday. Photographs were melted, her children’s toys blackened. Their clothing was also reduced to ashes in the flames.

Officials said the fire was likely attributable to old wiring in the house.

With nowhere else to turn, Silas-Honore moved in with her 21-year-old son in New Iberia. Nine people, including all five of her children, are sharing a small apartment for the time being.

“I feel bad because we’re a burden on him and he’s just making it,” Silas-Honore said.

Because Silas-Honore does not own a car, she cannot get to work in Jeanerette and does not know what has become of her job. Two of her daughters who worked at Sonic are in the same boat.

“All I want is to be able to go back to work,” Silas-Honore said. “That’s all I want. You never miss the simple things until it’s gone, the inexpensive, little things.”

The local chapter of the American Red Cross has assisted Silas-Honore and her family, providing clothing, food and personal items. But Silas-Honore says it is not enough and she does not know what to do next. Silas-Honore said officials at her son’s apartment complex told her she has two weeks to find a place to live.

“Every night I go to bed, I think about that: What next?” she said, fighting tears.

Unfortunately for Silas-Honore, this is not the first time her family has had to start over. In 2005, Hurricane Rita claimed her Lake Charles house.

They fled to Monroe and stayed with family there before eventually making there way south again.

“At least with Rita we were able to salvage a lot of personal stuff,” Silas-Honore said. “With Rita, we had shelters. We have nowhere to turn to now.”

Though Silas-Honore had just moved into the Jeanerette house a few months ago, she said she had plans to relocate to Lafayette. “But before we could even do anything, this takes place,” she said.

For now, Silas-Honore says the only thing keeping her going is her granddaughter, Ani’ya, a vivacious 8-month-old who appears unaffected by the traumatic events of the past week.