DC couple give thanks to firefighters who rescued them from blaze, get surprise home makeover

WASHINGTON - For one D.C. woman, this was a day she never thought she would live to see.

Debbie Boston and her husband were sleeping in their bedroom last April when their Southeast D.C. home suddenly became engulfed in flames. They were pulled from a second-floor window by firefighters and taken to the hospital.

Debbie suffered critical injuries, but survived the fire. But not after she was actually pronounced dead on the scene before being revived twice.

The Bostons were displaced from their home after it was badly damaged in the fast-moving fire.

But on Monday, the grateful couple met the firefighters and paramedics who saved their lives and the family received a big surprise when they walked back into their home.

D&A Designs, a Maryland-based home furnishing and design company, provided a home makeover for the Bostons free of charge.

"We can't just renovate the house," said Dereky Hagler. "We had to go above and beyond."

"The best part of this house is having a house to come back to," said Debbie. "You never realize how short life is until you lose it."

For Debbie Boston, her new home will help her provide for the homeless.

"I serve food for the homeless every month," she said. "I only missed it once since the fire. I will get to fix my homeless meal in my new kitchen."