Five family members stood in the freezing cold while they watched their house burn Tuesday night in Mapleview.

James Stehlik and his wife, Brooke, usually take a nap when they get home in the afternoon. Tuesday, for no particular reason, they didn’t. That was the only good thing about the situation, said Gene Stehlik, James’ father. If they would have been sleeping, he’s fairly certain they would have suffocated.

Gene and his wife, Karen (the homeowners), received a call from Brooke shortly after the fire broke out. They were a short drive from home, but it was possibly the longest drive of their lives.

“It’s like being behind every slow person in Austin … when you’re in a hurry,” Karen said.

The fire started around 5:30 p.m., shortly after James replaced a fuse because a light kept flickering. Not long after that, Brooke yelled, “Fire!”

Initially, James thought he could put the fire out with pails of water, but the third pail he threw at the flames caused the fire to escalate out of control. He yelled to get his wife and niece out of the house and wrapped a cloth around his face to block the smoke. Brooke dialed 911 about that same time.

Several minutes later, Gene and Karen arrived.

“As soon as I got home, it was just, ‘oh no,’” Gene said. “It took off like you wouldn’t believe. I’ve never seen so much smoke pouring out of a house.”

After a few more seconds, the fire department arrived. According to the family, it took the crew about four hours to get everything under control, something the family did not feel too comfortable watching.

“When you see it going up like that, it really scares you,” Karen said. “You think you’re going to lose everything. I couldn’t watch anymore.”

When firefighters finished working, the entire basement was ruined, and smoke and fire damaged most of the upstairs kitchen.

The family wasn’t able to grab anything during the blaze. Their three dogs were able to escape the fire, but two cats and three birds were trapped downstairs and didn’t survive.

Karen, who is a diabetic, stressed over the issue throughout the night. She said her blood sugar bottomed out and her blood pressure spiked. She also had chest pains. Karen now seems to be fine, but she and the family are confused about what to do next.

“You never realize how much you have to go through until something like this happens,” she said. “You never think of it.”

For a week, the Stehliks will stay in motel rooms provided by the Salvation Army. Gene said Mapleview Police Chief Forrest Miller, was very helpful.

He found the temporary housing for the Stehliks by 10 p.m. that night.

“Now there’s a great man right there,” Gene said.

However, the rooms will only house the Stehliks for a week. After that, they don’t know where they will go or how they will pay for it — possibly through insurance.

James hopes that someone will offer them something soon because they haven’t had time to talk to any friends or neighbors. A vacant motor home or camper would be sufficient for the family right now, he said.

Gene feels the same way; he is planning for another temporary place after the week is done because the family cannot stay in the house. The Mapleview Fire Department forbids anyone to stay in the house until all necessary repairs are made.

But Gene wouldn’t want to stay in it if he could.

“It smells so bad,” he said. “Man, this place, how do you get the smell out of this house?”

Fire fighters told Gene it could be done, but he loathes the task of cleaning everything.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Regardless, James knows from the simple nature of the accident that it could happen to anyone, and it’s easy to take life for granted.

“One minute you have everything you have — the next — it’s taken away from you,” he said.