By Kate Walters, American Red Cross

As smoke poured into their third-floor apartment in Colorado Springs, Colo., in the early hours of the morning, Janel Glasgow's only thought was protecting her two small children — four-year-old Roman and 11-month-old Neala.

"I opened the door, and a wall of smoke just hit me," Janel recalled. "I was coughing, gagging, yelling for help. I thought flames were going to come through at any moment."

Her children slept behind a closed bedroom door, something she now believes protected them from the worst of the smoke. As visibility faded, she opened windows and stayed low while trying to keep the little ones calm.

A neighbor who had managed to escape spotted her at the window and alerted firefighters that a mother and two small children were still trapped upstairs. Janel had been moments away from trying to escape through the smoke-filled hallway when the ladder crew reached their window and carried all three to safety. 

But it wasn't the first time that disaster had found this family. 

Years earlier, when Janel lived in Clearwater, Fla., she survived another apartment fire — one that caused extensive smoke and water damage and left a gaping hole in the ceiling. That disaster displaced her along with her many pets, including a corn snake.

"The Red Cross helped us then, too," she said softly. "Food, water, money for relocation … I just remember how kind they were. I'll never forget that feeling."

This time, Craig Mauro, the children's father, was at work when the fire started. He didn't notice that his phone was blowing up with calls from his wife in the middle of the night.

"I looked down and saw eight missed calls," he said. "I just started running."

By the time he reached the complex, firefighters had already rescued his family. "I didn't expect that call… I didn't expect any of it."

The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at Zeal Church, where the family was taken after they were evacuated. Their baby struggled to settle in the busy main shelter area and none of them had slept much. When volunteers noticed this, they worked with Zeal Church staff to create a quiet, private family room for the night. A rocking chair was brought in, the lights were dimmed and volunteers checked in often to be sure the family had warm blankets, snacks and a safe place to rest.

"That rocking chair saved us," Janel said with a tired smile. "Just being able to rock her … she finally slept. It meant everything."

The fire triggered old memories for Janel, but it also reminded her of something else: the compassion she had experienced once before. "Twice now, the Red Cross has been there for me. Two different states, two different disasters, but the same kindness."

Then, she added something she wished more people knew: "A lot of people don't know what the Red Cross does for small disasters. Everyone thinks of big wildfires or hurricanes. But they come out even when just one family loses the roof over their head too."

For this young family, the fire was frightening. But what stayed with them was something steadier: twice now, in two very different chapters of their lives, the Red Cross showed up when they needed help most.