\u201cI still hear the flames. I still smell the smoke. I still hear my son screaming when I got that phone call,\u201d Ruby Garcia said.<\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 A Riviera mother and her three children are trying to rebuild after a house fire destroyed their home and all of their belongings.<\/p>\n
Now, the family is asking the community for help as they begin to start over.<\/p>\n
A burned show, melted doors and charred bed frames are among the few things left on the ground at Ruby Garcia\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
Garcia said the home had been in her family for three generations before flames tore through it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still hear the flames. I still smell the smoke. I still hear my son screaming when I got that phone call,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Garcia said an electrical fire last Tuesday changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mini split was installed up there on the top. So whenever it did burn, that’s what exploded,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
She said she spent the last five to six years restoring the yellow house while trying to carry out her late father\u2019s vision for the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to carry forth what I knew his plans for this land were, you know, for the home and for everything. And to see it like this, it’s just very hard,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
A week after the fire, Garcia said the family is trying to figure out how to rebuild after losing everything in a matter of moments.<\/p>\n
Chief Ronald Pray, Fire Chief and Marshal for Kleberg County, said electrical fires can be more common in older homes, particularly in rural areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially in the rural areas where there’s not codes and requirements and the National Electric code may not have been followed, or you don’t have licensed personnel that have electrician’s licenses installing it,\u201d Pray said.<\/p>\n
Pray confirmed the mini split unit caused the fire in Garcia’s home, and provided some helpful reminders for homeowners to prevent electrical fires.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAny kind of electrical appliance, make sure it has some type of safety listing, UL listing, Consumer Product Safety Commission has looked into it,\u201d Pray said. “If you’re using something like a refrigerator or a microwave that draws a lot of electricity when it starts up and it’s blowing your fuse every time that happens, then that’s an indicator that you need to check your wiring and make sure that it’s adequate and that it has the proper fuses so that it can provide the power that’s needed for that item.”<\/p>\n
Despite the loss, Garcia said she is grateful her children and animals made it out safely and hopes to rebuild with a new perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad is telling me I’m gone. Thank you for carrying forth what I wanted, but now it’s you, it’s you and your family,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n