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Fire leaves 3 homeless

Family escapes blaze started by early morning laundry

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  • Leslie Wilber •
  • Originally published January 9, 2009 at 12:03 a.m., updated January 9, 2009 at 12:03 a.m.

Three people escaped an early morning house fire uninjured Thursday, but their home at 1606 Mesquite Lane was destroyed.

Diana Rodriquez was drying and folding her laundry after 1 a.m. to avoid having to do the chore the next morning, she said. She was in her bedroom when she noticed a strange smell coming from her utility room next door.

"I opened up the dryer and all these red flames leapt up," Rodriquez said.

She called for her daughter, 21-year-old Christy Rodriguez.

"I thought it was a small fire, like something was on fire," Rodriguez said. She brought a towel to fight the flames, but saw it wasn't enough.

Christy Rodriguez ran to her bedroom, where her 8-year-old niece, Faith Rangel slept.

The girl usually sleeps in the room above the utility room. Nightmares have kept Faith from sleeping well since her uncle died in September at the age of 23, Rodriguez said. Faith was frightened earlier in the night and wanted to sleep with her aunt.

Faith was terrified when Rodriguez woke her up.

"I said it can't be right now," she said. "It started smelling like smoke and my heart hurt."

All three left the home unharmed. Rodriguez also grabbed one of her cats and her mother's bird before leaving.

Another cat, a Persian named Precious, died. Firefighters tried to offer the cat oxygen, Rodriguez said, but she had already inhaled too much smoke.

"The firefighters were awesome," Rodriguez said, adding they went into the house to get Faith's glasses and other things they thought the family might need.

"This has been a bad year for us," Rodriguez said.

Rodriquez's son, Richard, died in September after a four-wheeling accident in May, she said. Rodriquez hoped to spend the coming months restoring her life.

"I'm worried about my mom," said Vanessa Rodriquez, Faith's mother. "Everything's been so hard. She's lost everybody."

Diana Rodriquez's husband died years ago. After her children finished school, she decided to attend Victoria College. Two weeks before her son's accident, she graduated. Diana Rodriquez has no insurance for the home she has owned for 14 years.

Diana Rodriquez works at Best Value Inn and her employers offered her a place to stay for now.

"I just don't know where I'm going to live now," Diana Rodriquez said. "How does one rebuild a home like that?"

  • HOW TO HELP

    To help victims of fire, call the Crossroads Chapter of the American Red Cross at 361-573-2671.

    The family needs:

    Women's size 16 pants and shirts

    Women's size 1-3 pants and small shirts

    Girl's ...

  • SHOW ALL »

    • HOW TO HELP

    To help victims of fire, call the Crossroads Chapter of the American Red Cross at 361-573-2671.

    The family needs:

    Women's size 16 pants and shirts

    Women's size 1-3 pants and small shirts

    Girl's size 10-12 pants

    Women's shoes in sizes 6-wide, 8 and 3.



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Comments

  • onecrabbylady onecrabbylady Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    Diana, so sorry to hear about the loss of your home to fire. Don't worry though...although this is a tough time you and your family will make it through it...and when you get down to it everything that was of any real importance you still have...your family. God Bless you all.

    January 9, 2009 at 12:47 p.m.