LAKESIDE, Calif. — Days after the Coches Fire swept through their neighborhood, a family whose home burned down returned to the site for the first time, hoping to salvage something from the ashes.
Bobbi Jane Apostolos helped her cousin, Amber Porter, sift through what remained of Porter's mobile home
"Whatever was in here is disintegrated," Apostolos said, as she opened a metal box.
The family searched through the debris, finding fragments of a photo album and a special birthday card.
"Very difficult. Very, very difficult," a tearful Apostolos said.
On Monday afternoon, Amber's husband Darren and their 13-year-old daughter Lilah arrived home, which backs up near the Monterey Mobile Lodge. As some of those mobile homes ignited, Darren told Lila to stay put while he hopped a fence and knocked on doors to alert neighbors.
Meanwhile, the flames began moving toward their own mobile home.
"Fire shooting across the field. Lilah was worried about her pets," Apostolos said.
Lilah rushed into the home, collecting two dogs and three cats, eventually joined by her father. They would leave with little else.
"As they walk away, they see house light up. They knew what was about to happen … Lilah is our superhero. Because of her, the pets are alive. Because of her, the family is together," Apostolos said.
The family’s home of 17 years was reduced to ash. Amber and Darren, who didn't feel up to talking, arrived at their home Wednesday for the first time since the fire.
“When you see it for yourself, you remember those losses. These are things, but when it’s an accumulation of all your life and memories, it’s a really hard pill to swallow that it’s all gone,” Apostolos said.
The memories belonged to a family of five, including three children, ranging from 13 to 20.
"My cousin lost her wedding dress and baby albums. Darren lost everything left from his late father," Apostolos said.
When it comes to those priceless belongings, along with everything else, the family is out of luck.
"They looked at insurance, but it wasn’t affordable. It was too expensive for them," Apostolos said.
But despite the uncertainty, there was hope amid the ashes — a photo that mostly survived of a kiss on the couple's wedding day. When Amber saw it, she broke down in tears.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family with expenses for basic needs.
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