SAN MARCOS (KGTV) — Opal Jean Thompson is moving back into her San Marcos home two years after a fire destroyed it and killed her son.
Thompson has been living with family in Temecula while waiting for her home to be rebuilt. Now, with furniture and cleaning supplies in tow, she is ready to settle back in — though she says the process will not be easy.
"Just trying to get my house back in order and get, you know, it's gonna be hard because I don't have that much money left. And I just have to do a little bit at a time," Thompson said.
Thinking back on the fire remains painful for Thompson. She described the moment the smoke alarms went off and she discovered her son's room engulfed in flames.
"I was up in the family room watching TV and the smoke alarms went off and when I got back there, my son's room was in total flames, and I called 911 and they told me to get out of the house. I tried to get him out, but he wouldn't come out. So he died," Thompson said.
ABC 10news first reported on Thompson's story in December 2024, while she was staying at a San Marcos hotel.
She says returning to the renovated home will be emotionally difficult without her son there.
"You know, I wanna come home, but I don't wanna come home because he was my rock. He was the one here for me for everything. And it's gonna be so hard not having him here," Thompson said.
Despite the grief, Thompson says she is looking ahead and plans to give the space a fresh look once she is fully moved in.
"I'll get somebody to paint it, put some color in it, make it happy," Thompson said.
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