FALLBROOK, Calif. (KGTV) - A North County mother who lost everything when fire destroyed her mobile home just days after giving birth received an overwhelming Christmas surprise from the community after her story aired on ABC 10News.
Violeta Nieto and her 4-day-old daughter barely escaped when flames consumed their Fallbrook trailer three weeks ago. As she nursed her newborn in the bedroom, smoke and flames suddenly sparked under saw drawers.
"Matter of minutes, it was flaming. The plumes were scary," Nieto said.
They escaped in time, but within minutes, fire had consumed the trailer and all their belongings, including baby supplies. Nieto didn't have renters' insurance.
"It hurts me, my life was in there," an emotional Nieto said.
After the ABC 10News story aired, donations poured into a GoFundMe campaign, which has now raised more than $17,000.
"It was so meaningful. I just want to say, ‘Thank you. It was much appreciated,’" Nieto said.
Among those who saw the story was Marlow Martinez, who leads Marlow B Martinez Foundation, a local nonprofit helping disadvantaged youth. For the past decade, his group has surprised one family each year with Christmas gifts in a campaign called Operation Surprise Christmas.
This year, they picked Nieto.
After collecting donations, Martinez and his team showed up while Nieto was at the site of her burned home and delivered three truckfuls of baby supplies. The delivery included everything from a crib and bathtubs to clothes, diapers, and books.
"I was thinking I already have her Christmas gifts for a few years," Nieto said.
The surprise delivery helped transform what had been a devastating holiday season into one filled with hope.
"I'm excited that it's Christmas. I wasn't feeling like this a few weeks ago," Nieto said.
"I see that definitely there's still love, hope. The community showed their support," Nieto said.
The funds collected from the GoFundMe campaign were enough to pay for a new trailer, which was delivered on Wednesday afternoon.
"I think I would describe it as unbelievable," Nieto said of the overwhelming community response.
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.
