Fire Leaves Mother, 3 Children Homeless
A mother and her three children were left homeless after a fire destroyed the home they were living in early Monday morning.
The fire erupted shortly after Midnight on the 9500 block of Japonica in Northeast El Paso. That is near the intersection of Diana and Dyer.
Cynthia Torres, a neighbor of the family, said the mother was not home at the time of the fire and started screaming when she arrived and saw the burning home.
“We just saw flames coming out of everywhere,” said Torres, “Out of the doors, out of the windows, I called 911 as soon as I could.”
The three children and their baby sitter were able to get out of the home safely.
Eight units with the El Paso Fire department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. Witnesses at the scene said a person who was passing by had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Torres captured the flames, which almost spread to her home, on her cell phone.
“It was pretty scary to see our house be in that danger and then to see my neighbor be sad,” said Torres. “It was a weird feeling to feel relief that our house wasn’t on fire, but to see them, it was really sad.”
Three bystanders were treated by fire medical personnel for smoke inhalation with one of them being transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The fire, which started in the kitchen, caused over $90,000.00 in damages to the structure and its contents. The family did not own the home and were renting it. Fire officials said the Red Cross of El Paso is assisting them.
The landlord has set up an account at Chase Bank to help the displaced family. Account Information: Chase Bank TAX EIN # 27-2662904
Stephanie B. Wilson Charitable Assistance 27-26-52-904-Number for tax purposes Routing # 111000614 Account # 896332939 Information: Stephanie B. Wilson, 915-412-3387.
