Detroit Dad Who Lost House in Fire Receives $400K in Donations

"Everything is happy tears now."

Talk about a phone call that nobody ever thinks they'll get - Rodrick Reynolds, a 32-year-old independent contractor from Detroit and father of five kids, was told that his house had burned down.

It's a house that he had been working on and fixing up for his family for months; in the fire, he also lost his dog and his work truck.

One of Rodrick's friends contacted FOX 2 Detroit after they had started a crowdfunding page for him. And, in less than 24 hours, people had donated $400,000. Over 16,000 people from all over Michigan and the country contributed to the GoFundMe.

The Detroit Fire Department is still working on the case and investigating the cause of the fire. Of course, all the money in the world won't bring back the Reynolds family dog, but this will help them to get back on their feet.

Reynolds told Fox 2 Detroit that, after he secures a new house for himself and his five kids, he's going to give back to the community with the money leftover. He wants to make sure that other families are "taken care of."

Rodrick is also taking clothing donations now for his five kids - he has a 13-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl, a 2-year-old boy, and a newborn baby boy. If you have clothes to donate, you can email him at RODERICKREYNOLDS@yahoo.com

This is another shining example of the human spirit - giving back to others when they're in a tough spot, even if you don't know them. He received donations from all over the WORLD and will now have a place to live with his kids.