After taking in friends who lost their home in a fire, an El Paso man’s own home goes up in flames

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Ramon Montoya sifted through what was left of his home after a fire tore through his Northeast El Paso home Friday. Surrounded by friends and family, he told ABC-7 he was just glad he and his family were okay.

"It is what it is. As long as me and my wife, we're together... the only thing that really, really hurts me, is my dogs," Montoya said, holding back tears. He says all three of his dogs died in the fire.

But the loss of Montoya's dogs wasn't the only tragedy he and his loved ones were affected by. Just a few weeks ago, one of his best friends also lost his house in a fire.

"I told them, no, you're not going to a hotel. You're going to come live with us," he said.

Lorenzo Rodriguez was one of the first people to show up to support Montoya when he heard the news. Rodriguez understands all too well what it's like to lose all one's belongings by flame.

"When you go through a fire, you suddenly discover that the only thing you survived with is the clothes on your back," said Rodriguez. "To watch them go through the same thing, just weeks later, is astonishing."

To help the Montoyas rebuild, the family set up a GoFundMe. To donate, click here.