GULFPORT, Fla. — A Gulfport resident says she lost everything when a power line caused her home to catch fire when Hurricane Milton hit on Oct. 9.

She was out of town at the time, but said her cat, Betty White, died in the fire.

“We left before we even knew a hurricane was brewing,” said Davida Wheeler, 47. “What was supposed to be a romantic weekend turned into us both losing our homes, and his job and my job, temporarily, and my cat.”

Wheeler said she only had a lightly packed duffel bag with her at the time, the contents of which have now become her only possessions. Her neighbor, Steven Johnson, 72, a retired Navy Veteran, said he saw the power line sparking.

“I saw a flash in the window. Went back and looked and it was arcing back there. Big arcs,” he said. “I can see the sparks traveling down the power line and the big flash and it was laying on the ground. You could see it popping and sparking.” 

Gulfport Fire Rescue Chief Rene Fernandez said the first 911 call about the house fire came in at 7:49 p.m. and firefighters could not respond because Milton was causing winds to gust at more than 50 miles per hour. Johnson shot video of the fire and worried it would spread to his home.

“Just watching it all night long and I could feel the heat in the kitchen,” he said. “The back door is a metal door, and it wasn't hot yet, but the window, the glass, was warm.” 

Wheeler said she asked a friend to evacuate both of her cats, but she could only catch one of them. The remaining cat, a 1-year-old female named Betty White, was killed in the fire.

“I just fell in love with this kitty, but she was spicy because she was feral,” she said. “They tried their best to catch her, and she was trapped inside the house.”

Johnson said he knew Wheeler was out of town, had cats and considered trying to punch a hole in the home, but he was worried about his safety because the power line was down in the water.

“There wasn’t anything I could really do. I have a 4x4 in the back,” he said. “If the water would have been safe, I could have poked a hole in the window and given it an escape route.”

Wheeler is a massage therapist who works at a spa in Tierra Verde and practiced out of her home too.

“In the far back corner was my guest bedroom slash massage therapy, and so that was a big hit as far as my personal mobile business,” she said. “I'm really looking forward to getting back to work once I get this a little more situated.”

The masseuse said she had rented the home for 10 years, lost everything in the fire and is not sure how she’s going to rebuild her life.

“I had 25 years of journals and poetry books … that doesn't exist anymore,” she said. “I had my grandmother's heirloom jewelry and her wedding rings, and I haven't been able to find them yet.” 

Wheeler said she regrets not having renters insurance and said the only reason she’s not homeless is because of the kindness of a stranger.

“There's this woman. I'm not going to say her name because I know that she's not only helping me, she's helping a lot of people in the St. Pete area,” she said. “She's letting me stay in an Airbnb and giving me some time to get my feet back underneath me.” 

The outpouring of support for Wheeler, who calls herself a Florida orphan, has touched her heart and she created a GoFundMe page with a $10,000 goal to help her secure more permanent housing in January.

“I'm so grateful for every person, every stranger, every friend that has sent something or showed up to help clean or made a donation or dropped off clothes or even cat food,” she said. “I'm so grateful for every little bit of it. Thank you so much.”

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