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7 Chaparral families pick up pieces after massive fire destroyed their mobile homes, killed 30 pets

EL PASO, Texas -- Seven families in Chaparral are now wondering what comes next after their mobile homes were engulfed by flames last Friday. While the life did not claim any human lives, it is feared that roughly 30 pets may have been killed.

“It’s just - I still close my eyes and I walk through the trailer. I see everything and it's so hard and sometimes I look out, its so emotional - I am still so emotional," resident Frances Williams resident said Monday.

She made it out of her trailer alive and her daughter broke in a back window to free her pets. Out of the six dogs Williams has, she is still missing one. One of her other dogs, her Chihuahua Leo, was found two days after the fire at a gas station.

"I just burst out in tears and I was hysterically crying and hugging him and he was crying and licking me, he was so happy," Williams said.

Other pets were not able to make it out, with dozens likely dying in the tragic fire. One trailer park resident, a 74-year-old veteran, sprang into action when he saw the flames; armed with only a garden hose, he tried to fight the fire.

“Once I saw it coming over the top I knew right then and there, there were pictures that were taken that show a massive cloud… this fire went and jumped over to the daycare center. Luckily they had a fire unit there to put it out,” Lawrence Peterson explained.

One neighboring family will now have to welcome the birth of their baby girl without the supplies they needed: diapers, formula, and baby clothes all burned.

"There is a lady that was in one of these mobile homes, her daughter was actually induced this morning to have a baby girl and everything that they had accumulated for the baby - everything was lost," said Jessica Gray, a volunteer aiding those burned out of their homes.

Peterson tells ABC-7 that the fire destroyed his home, but not his spirit. He feels lucky to be alive and is ready to move forward.

“I’m here, its like I said the creator wants me for a reason or I would have been gone. We are lucky that we did not lose any humans in this fire and I believe everyone in this trailer park has the same attitude. We pick up the pieces and keep on going,” Peterson said.

In all, seven families lost their homes in that fire and they are seeking the community's help to pick up those pieces. While the Red Cross is currently assisting, those families are in need of additional relief. If you would like to help these families, a Go Fund Me account can be found at this link.

Article Topic Follows: New Mexico

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JC Navarrete

El Paso native JC Navarrete co-anchors ABC-7’s weekend newscasts and reports during the week.

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