CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx \u2014 By the time Jose Lopez got the call, it was too late.<\/p>\n
“It started burning the whole house. The fire coming out through that window, and that door,” Jose Lopez, Fire Victim, said.<\/p>\n
Fire destroys Chico’s Candy Apples owner’s home as fellow business owner starts GoFundMe to help<\/p>\n
The flames took everything his family built over the last 13 years.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t have much. But we had something. We could come home and rest and find some peace. But now there is no home,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
He walks me through what’s left \u2014 ashes, charred walls, and memories.<\/p>\n
“This was one of my son’s rooms,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
Jose owns Chico’s Candy Apples. His kitchen was his livelihood.<\/p>\n
“It’s all burned. The kitchen is all burned,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
Now, he’s working out of a church kitchen, trying to keep his business alive. But he’s not doing it alone.<\/p>\n
“Being through it and actually knowing how it feels to lose,” Dru Munoz, Candy Andy Owner, said.<\/p>\n
Dru Munoz owns Candy Andy. Three months ago, I told you about a fire that destroyed his food truck. The community stepped in to help.<\/p>\n
Now Dru wants to pay it forward. He’s the one who started a GoFundMe for Jose.<\/p>\n
“We sat there together and created the whole account here at Candy Andy,” Munoz said.<\/p>\n
Two men, each hit by fire, now lifting each other back up.<\/p>\n
And for Jose, it’s his faith that keeps him moving forward.<\/p>\n
“All of this happens for a reason and I know that God wants me to think big,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
“This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.”<\/p>\n
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