A Waimanalo family of six was doing OK, with their mortgage paid off and everyone working except for grandma and two kids.

Then, in a flash, their lives were turned upside down when a fire ripped through the house three weeks ago.

Disabled 74-year-old Waimanalo grandmother Florence Bowes Lewis was home alone, napping, with her mask and machine for sleep apnea on, when she awoke to fire.

“I saw these huge flames coming off the bathroom from the floor up to the ceiling,” said Bowes Lewis, a former nurse anesthetist and widow of Waimanalo community leader Albert “Uncle Al” Lewis. “I didn’t know what to do for a minute. ‘Oh, this is for real.’ I thought I was dreaming.”

With arthritic knees preventing her from moving quickly, she grabbed her cellphone and tried to run. Instead, she struck and injured her foot on the door, but managed to close all the bedroom doors before getting out.

Once outside she realized her beloved boxer-pitbull mix, Mickey, who usually naps under her bed, was still in the house. Firefighters retrieved him from under her bed with two burned legs, head hanging.

“I thought he was dead,” she said. “I’m crying and shaking.” After a neighbor bathed Mickey’s face in cold water, he eventually coughed, then opened his eyes.

The April 28 fire left homeless Bowes Lewis’ family — son, 41; daughter-in-law, 46; and three grandchildren, ages 21, 14 and 8 — along with their two dogs and a cat.

The flames burned the ceiling and roof rafters, making it unsafe for them to live there, Bowes Lewis said.

The Fire Department estimated $60,000 in damage to the structure and $10,000 to the contents of the single-family home at 41-567 Mekia St. Fire investigators determined an improperly discarded cigarette in the bathroom was the cause.

Bowes Lewis returned to the house for the first time Thursday and picked through the piles of her charred belongings, hoping to find a wedding photo, other treasured items or any salvageable clothes.

The back of the house is blackened inside, the ceiling gone and the sky visible through a vent in the roof.

The Red Cross put up the family for a few nights at a hotel after the fire. A relative then took them in temporarily, but they had to leave by Friday and, with nowhere else to go, planned to move to a hotel.

Bowes Lewis and her son have repeatedly called their insurance agent and are awaiting action.

For the 74-year-old, the tragedy of losing her possessions, including all her clothes and shoes, precious photos and important papers, is not what depresses her. It’s that no one from the community that her late husband tirelessly served has stepped forward to help.

Albert Lewis, who lived in Waimanalo most of his life, was honored posthumously in 2015 by the state Senate for his community service. He founded the Friends of Waimanalo, served on the neighborhood board and Waimanalo Jaycees, and helped with the Waimanalo Teen Project and the Waimanalo Community Carnival.

Lewis worked as a janitor for the state but spent much of his time volunteering and helping youth sports clubs, senior citizens clubs and, as Santa, rang the bell for the Salvation Army, his wife said.

But her son, who asked not to be named because he is embarrassed and did not want to ask for help, said he did receive calls from people after the fire but declined offers of assistance.

The main concern, he said, is that they have been trying to find a rental home for six to eight months while they rebuild, but most landlords prefer a one-year lease and don’t allow pets. So the family hopes to find temporary foster homes for the dogs.

Before the fire, the family was making it, Bowes Lewis said. She and her husband bought the home in 1983 and paid off the mortgage years ago.

Although she couldn’t work after surgery to both knees in 1990, her son works as a janitor at the state Capitol. His wife is a cashier at the Navy Exchange, and her 21-year-old grandson works at a Nuuanu senior living facility.

She’s maxed out her credit cards buying food for the family, especially since they have had to eat out.

Anyone interested in helping the family can contribute to the Florence Bowes Lewis Fund at any Bank of Hawaii. For rental leads or foster homes for pets, email fblewis@gmail.com.