May 1st 5:11pm:

I was helping the DJ to set up a video slideshow for my daughter Nicole’s wedding. My pride and anticipation were abruptly interrupted by a frantic call from a neighbor: “Justice, your house is on fire.” After a brief moment of overwhelming shock and disbelief, I replied: “It’s gonna have to burn” The police and fire department were already on the scene. They took the phone from my neighbor and insisted that I join them at the scene. The most challenging conversation in my life was telling my daughter Janette that I had to leave. I knew she would be there to support her mother (who was performing the ceremony), and I asked that they not tell Nicole about the fire.

It was an agonizing drive from Gilroy to Campbell, slowed down by heavy traffic. Turning onto my street was surreal and beyond shocking. There were 5 or six fire trucks and maybe 30 firemen. Some cutting into the still smoking roof. Burnt items from my garage littered the yard and driveway. Fire damage was limited to the garage. It was packed with tools, items in storage, art projects, bikes, etc.; they eventually allowed me into the house to retrieve valuables. That’s when I discovered the extensive damage to the rest of the home caused by firefighters efforts to make sure that there were no attic fires in other rooms. They made multiple holes in the ceilings of every room, which released asbestos fibers and rendered our clothes and soft furniture useless. There was extensive water damage to the floors and walls, but God bless those firefighters: They saw value in the wood sculptures that lined the hallway, moved most of them to safer spots, and most of my work appears undamaged. The final verdict on the cause of the fire: A faulty power strip.

Friends and family have offered to help, and we have graciously declined, thinking that our renter's insurance would take care of everything and that we would be living comfortably again in a few months. Today we found out that we will be displaced for at least a year until we can move back in. Because of the asbestos damage, we are underinsured.

My wife and I have been the givers on both sides of our family and in our jobs, and we are not accustomed to asking for help. The reality is that we COULD use assistance with moving costs and the drastic increase we anticipate from the extremely reasonable rent we were paying. Any strong leads on housing would be fantastic. Any financial support would be greatly appreciated.

PS: There is ALWAYS a silver lining!

The blessings are that nobody was hurt, that the firefighters saved Coco, the mellowest chihuahua you can imagine, that the fire damage wasn’t more extensive and that I made it back to the last 15 minutes of the evening for an impromptu father-daughter dance!