Marvin Gonzalez is young but he’s old enough to know he lost his home. This was due to a fire that happened Friday night at Celebrity Street just outside Edinburg.
He said he saw his mother and aunt running out of the home but he wasn’t scared, he didn’t cry and instead he was brave.
Saturday morning the Gonzalez family - who left everything behind in their home town of Reynosa, Mexico to come to the United States looking for better opportunities - woke up to piles of ashes and debris that used to be their belongings.
"We evacuated all the children and everyone out to the street so that no one would get hurt,” home owner Ruben Gonzalez said. ‘We were scared, but we were still throwing water with the hoses, but it was already too late."
Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn Snyder said crews responded to a call for help at Celebrity Street at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
When rescue workers arrived, Snyder said, the one bedroom home was completely engulfed in flames, but luckily no one was injured.
"We're going to have to start all over like we did when we first came here,” Gonzalez said. “Many people helped us when we got here and maybe this time we'll get a helping hand as well.”
The family did have plenty of helping hands Saturday as friends and family helped them salvage belongings, brought food and help sweep away all that was lost.
"We've always helped each other,” family friend Isaac De Luna said, “so as soon as we got here like its just like family to us we just started helping out with anything.”
The Hidalgo County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze, but Snyder said it could’ve been sparked by a single extension chord that the family was using to power their home.
If you would like to help the family you can contact Ruben Gonzalez at 956-515-5942.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT