LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV)— Eight months after the Coches Fire tore through a mobile home park in Lakeside, destroying her home and everything in it, 78-year-old Sharon Martin has a new place to call home.
"I'm still in shock that I'm sitting in this new home," Martin said.
Martin was among the fire victims when the Coches Fire swept through a mobile home park and nearby neighborhood, destroying her home and 5 others. She escaped the flames uninjured but lost everything — and had no insurance coverage after being dropped by her insurer.
“Felt very hopeless, yes. Shocking. So hard to start over at my age," Martin said.
In the days after the wildfire was stopped, our cameras followed Martin to a resource fair. Following our story, donations began pouring into a GoFundMe campaign set up for her.
"A lot of people saw it on TV, and that helped tremendously," Martin said.
The donations helped cover living expenses, including a rental. Her rebuilding effort became a true community effort. County crews cleared her lot at no expense to her. The mobile home park owners repaired a costly erosion issue on the lot. Her sister helped purchase a new mobile home.
"You have no idea how much this has helped a person in this situation. So grateful," Martin said.
Earlier this week, Martin moved into her new 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home on the same lot— one of the last of the destroyed homes to be rebuilt. Her faithful dog, Lucy, was by her side.
"Good girl, Lucy. We've been through a lot," Martin said to Lucy. “We are home.”
Martin said she is ready for what comes next.
"It's like paradise, it feels wonderful," Martin said. "I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life.”
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.
