Residents displaced after fire destroys Pasadena mobile park homes
PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- "The fire took all my tears," said Sergio Jasso, as he stood in front of what had been the mobile home where he lived with his parents for nearly 20 years.
Two other homes in the Pasadena mobile home park were reduced to a pile of rubble. The fire happened late Friday morning, and by the time fire crews arrived, there was nothing to save. Firefighters did prevent the fire from consuming other structures.
It's believed to have started in one of the mobile homes. Martha Trevino said her mother heard a loud "pop," and when she looked in another room, the flames were already visible.
"She got a fire extinguisher, but she couldn't put it out," she said. "I feel bad, because my mom feels so guilty, and she keeps thinking she could have done something," Martha said.
It's possible an electrical issue may have started the fire, but there was nothing that could be done. It spread next door to the Rios' home.
"I've lost my home, and part of my life," said Xochitl Fernandez-Rios.
She and her husband were both at a grocery store when they were told to get home quickly. They were unable to save anything, including their two puppies.
Each family had lived at the mobile home park for years, raising their children and building their lives. None have insurance.
"My mom and I didn't realize there was a fire next door," said Sergio Jasso. "My dad drove up and told us to get out. I got my mom out, got my dogs out and grabbed my identification papers," he said. There was no time to save anything else.
Two weeks before Christmas, the displaced families are living with friends or relatives. Some of them split up because there's not enough room for them to stay in one place.
"We rise from the ashes," said Luis Rios Jr. "We start from the bottom, step by step. The same way we did it before, we'll do it again."
Two families have set up a Go Fund Me account to help with their recovery called "Help them rise from the ashes."
