Community reveals the true meaning of the holidays after a fire destroys the home of a New Jersey police officer

‘Tis the season of giving, and that’s on full display after a fire destroyed the home of a Camden County police officer this week.

Heavy flames shot from the windows as smoke billowed from the roof of his Clementon home. The fire destroyed almost everything just days before Christmas. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“I realized the only thing I had left at that point was my uniform,” Officer Salomon Andre said.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the house on Kingswood Place on Monday. Officer Andre was on patrol at the time and luckily his fiancée, Dajshia Gibson, and their newborn baby, Kailo, were running errands.

Several nearby fire departments knocked down the flames and rescued the family’s dog, Dash, who was upstairs in his crate.

Andre said his family moved into their home last August, days before his son was born, and now there isn’t much left.

“If I didn’t know where my bedroom was or where the bed was, you couldn’t tell that everything was pretty much burned,” Andre said.

“I think that’s what broke my heart the most because I was looking forward to celebrating our first Christmas in our first home with our first baby. There were a lot of firsts,” Gibson said.

As the family now looks for longer-term housing, they say neighbors and community members have donated toys, clothing and food. The community shows the true meaning of the holidays.

“I’m overwhelmed, it just shows that I’m not alone,” Andre said.

The Camden County Police Union donated $1,000 to the family, Gibson’s colleagues also pitched in and a fundraiser has already raised thousands of dollars.

“The way I look at it, it could be worse. We are all safe, we are grateful for that, we still have the spirit,” Andre said.