FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Arnold Williams Sr.’s home was decimated by the Eaton fire last January. Sadly, he passed away this past summer before he got a chance to rebuild his home, which was his dream.
Now, his son is determined to honor his father and make that dream a reality, even if it isn’t how they originally pictured it.
“My son-in-law called and said I had to leave right away so I got up and got dressed and I left with the clothes on my back. Nothing is impossible. You can go home one day, and nothing is there,” says Arnold Williams Sr.
Arnold Williams Sr. spoke with Action News last January after he lost everything in the Eaton Fire.
Classic cars, family heirlooms, prized possessions, reduced to ash.
The 87-year-old passed away from congestive heart failure; his only dream was to rebuild. But after his insurance company cancelled him, that dream is now out of reach for his children, including his son Arnold Jr.
“He wanted to rebuild, and he passed away with a broken heart. It devastated him to lose his home, and he never recovered from that,” says Arnold Williams Jr.
Father and son assessed the damage days after the fire, and now, a year later, the lot is leveled.
“It looks like a warzone, there’s nothing left, just empty lots,” says Williams Jr.
Melted car rims from his father’s classic Rolls-Royce were the only thing recovered from his childhood home.
“What does this symbolize for you?” we asked.
“Piece of history, a piece of my father’s legacy that’s left,” he responded.
Of the thousands who lost their homes, fewer than a dozen have rebuilt.
For Williams Jr. its been nothing but red tape and roadblocks.
He says they will most likely sell the land, but not for some time, as they work through ongoing family conflict.
“We won’t rebuild. We have to come to an agreement first before we can rebuild or even attempt to talk about it,” says Williams Jr.
Williams Jr. with this message to his late father and this wish for the future.
“Tell him, I still love him. I’ll try to keep up his legacy. Hopefully somebody can move in and enjoy it, rebuild, and have the experience that I had as a kid,” says Williams Jr.
Several of Williams Jr’s family members also lost their homes. One of his sisters remains in a homeless shelter to this day. He says this has truly changed their family and neighborhood forever.
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