SAN DIEGO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Community support is pouring in for a San Diego family displaced after a fire ripped through their home just weeks before Christmas.
“Hard. Just trying to get the kids in school. I don’t want them worrying about anything. Trying to find a place as fast as I can,” said resident Vanessa Adrian.
It’s a challenging time for the mother of four and her kids, ages 5,10, 15, and 18.
Instead of adding final holiday touches, they now visit the ruins of their home on Calico Street in Mira Mesa to check for packages after losing nearly everything in a fire last Saturday.
“My 10-year-old was in the backroom, and he heard the smoke alarm go off, so he walked up to the front, and he saw flames, so he called 9-1-1 immediately,” said Adrian.
She was out shopping for her eldest son’s birthday party, which never happened. Luckily, her two boys, who were there, got out safely along with their pets.
“Fireman he said who is Emma? And I said, ” Oh, this is Emma and he says oh I saw a lot of her ornaments on the tree, so I pulled the tree out and saved it,” said Adrian as she recalled the moments after arriving at her home while crews battled the flames.
She said they were able to salvage a couple bags of clothes and a couple bins of keepsakes, but everything else was a loss.
“We had a lot of our presents in the garage, and they got burned,” said Adrian. She added that firefighters think the fire may have been electrical and started in the garage.
While the cause remains under investigation, they’re issuing important reminders.
“Safety tips are only safety tips if they’re used,” said Jason Shanley, Fire Information Officer with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Shanley explained that there are ways to prevent house fires that are common during the holidays.
“Don’t cook if you’re not going to be home. Use surge protectors and think about the time that your lights are on, especially on Christmas trees that are going to be drying out,” said Shanley.
Shanley also suggested that people avoid using power strips that may overload outlets, always water your Christmas tree, make sure your tree has a secure base so it doesn’t tumble over on young children, and avoid placing ornaments or decorations that can break close enough to where young children can access them and potentially cut themselves.
For now, Adrian and her kids are staying with family and are grateful for the generosity they’ve seen. “Salk Elementary, we have a lot of families donating things. It’s a help because I wasn’t going to do anything for Christmas,” said Adrian.
Her sister started a GoFundMe for her and her kids.
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