Natalie Shelton and Wayne Collins had only been in their southwest Houston apartment for about four months. They moved in over Labor Day weekend, settling into what felt like the start of a stable routine. On the night of the fire, that routine was shattered, but what emerged instead was a powerful reminder of what it means to look out for one another.
Natalie was standing on her balcony when something caught her attention. A neighbor in another building was frantically gesturing toward theirs. When Natalie followed the direction of the gesture, she saw flames. “I rushed back inside and told Wayne there was a fire,” she said.
Wayne didn’t hesitate. He checked the apartment door to see if it was hot. It wasn’t, but when he opened it, the hallway told a different story. Smoke filled the space, and visibility was nearly gone. “It was dark and full of smoke,” Wayne recalled. He pulled on his pants, and the two of them made a quick decision to leave immediately.
As they exited, Wayne did something instinctive. He banged on a neighbor’s door before continuing down the stairs. The neighbor later told them he had been asleep and would not have known about the fire if Wayne hadn’t stopped. In that moment, Wayne became exactly what every community hopes for in a crisis, someone willing to pause, even briefly, to make sure others were safe.
They escaped with almost nothing. Wayne left with only the clothes he was wearing. Natalie managed to grab her phone, car keys, and a wristband holding her credit cards and ID. Everything else was left behind.
The emotional impact hit quickly. Wayne struggled to put it into words. “I’m drawing a blank. I’m angry. I’m frustrated, you think about everything you’ve lost,” he said. “Things are replaceable,” Natalie added. Wayne spoke quietly about the plants they had cared for over many years. “They’re dead,” he said simply.
For Wayne, the hardest part has been the uncertainty. “Before the fire, I knew what I was going to have for breakfast,” he said. “Not knowing, that’s the worst part.”
In the middle of that uncertainty, help arrived. The Red Cross was there when Natalie and Wayne needed it most. “They took care of us,” Wayne said. “Thank you.” The shelter offered safety, light, and a sense of calm at a moment when everything else felt unstable.
As they look ahead, their needs are modest and deeply human. Natalie hopes for a Bible. ** Wayne mentions everyday essentials, plates, clothes, a shower curtain, pots and pans, a clean, well lit place. Small things that represent dignity, normalcy, and a chance to begin again.
Natalie and Wayne’s story is one of loss, but it is also one of responsibility to each other and to their neighbors. In the rush to escape danger, Wayne’s decision to knock on a door reflects a simple but powerful truth, in moments of crisis, we are all our neighbors’ keepers.
** Editors Note: The Disaster Cycle Services team was able to provide Natalie with her “Christmas Wish” and give her a Bible. Natalie said, ” I am so thankful for the Bible. I love it.”
Story by Nnamdi Nnoli
Texas Gulf Coast American Red Cross 