Help The Cannon Family Rebuild After House Fire

Hello, my name is Candace Cannon, and my family and I have lived in Shasta Lake for decades. I just turned 29 and have lived there the majority of my life. My father has lived there for over 30 years.

On the early morning of February 15th, 2025, at approximately 3 a.m., a fire broke out in my father’s room and quickly spread to the curtains, breaking out his window within moments. He had woke me up just seconds before, and we both were able to make it outside, making sure I grabbed my dog first. Some of my cats were still trapped. I had to run back in for my phone to call 911, in case no one else could call for us; I remember fighting the urge to go to them as I knew I most likely would not make it back out if I did. I remember consistently checking the top of my head for burns or to put my hair out, as the heat was so unbearable I thought I had actually caught on fire, as did my dad.

After getting outside, I made sure both of us were not gravely injured, called 911, and confirmed every detail to the dispatcher. Immediately following this, I remember our neighbor yelling down to us and throwing a hose over his fence to me in order to try and help my dad, who was using our own hose, in keeping the fire from spreading. At that point, the flames were mostly contained to one part of the house, and for the next 10-15 minutes my dad and I just did our best to keep it from potentially growing large enough to spread to the neighbors’. It was a single-wide trailer, which apparently have been known to burn down completely in under minutes, but we kept it at bay long enough to keep it from doing any further damage to us, anyone else, or to the property. I remember multiple explosions and ammo going off, just a bit before we had been asked to step into the road while they tried to get the fire out.

I called my little sister to see if we could stay with her and her family for a couple of nights, while a firefighter came up to me holding my dog Roofus in his arms, as he had taken off during the initial commotion. My mom, who lives with my sister, came to pick us up approximately 40 minutes later, but not before the fire had been put out almost completely. My father asked if he could survey the wreckage, and the firefighters obliged. Nearly everything had been completely or partially destroyed.

Since the night of the fire and based on what I’ve been told so far, we’ve been informed by the city that we will not be able to stay on our property in order to begin the rebuilding, restoration, or healing process required by us after losing our home. As to my knowledge, it will not be until we have the money to get a modular home put there, clear the lot ourselves, and apply for a permit, that we then may be allowed to return to the ashen remains of our home. All while having to spend nearly every cent Red Cross was able to give us on just keeping a warm place to sleep. Also while being nowhere near close enough in proximity to feed my surviving animals every day; let alone start clearing out any one of the many things that we are now legally required to do.

My parents raised me and my three siblings in that house. They’ve owned that property for almost the entirety of all our childhoods, and paid taxes on it for over thirty years as well. It may have been a cruddy trailer to others, but to us it was a sanctuary. During my adolescence and my adulthood, my family never moved anywhere else. It was the only home we ever knew. It may have contributed to our poverty later on in our lives, but it was safe, warm, and dry. A place that we could always go to if need be; it taught us to appreciate having a roof over our head.

Now, not only mine and my father’s earthly possessions are gone, but many of my family’s as well; my grandfather’s ashes, family heirlooms intended to be passed down, all of our pictures. Or our old phones with all of our pictures. We lost birth certificates, driver’s licenses’, S.S.I cards, titles to our vehicles. We of course both lost things very important to us. My father lost his bible, his Harley, his dirt bikes he’d collected over his life. I lost my PS2, 3, & 4 and all my games, thousands worth in cosplays, wigs, and manga that I had accrued over my life. At times it seems like too many possessions to fathom losing all at once. So it tends to come in waves.

Our aspirations of moving back onto our property have changed according to Shasta Lake’s imposed guidelines, and now it seems our best hope is to try and raise money for a home deemed suitable enough by the city. We must simultaneously try to find affordable temporary housing, gas money to go to and from our property and wherever we find to stay, and funds for clearing out the entire property, as it sits on 1/2 acre. Although we are Karuk, Cherokee, and Powhatan Native, the only funds/resources we’ve been able to use or qualify for are the ones provided by Red Cross, and those have almost run out. We are looking into moving to our tribe’s area in case we must leave Shasta County and our family behind. However, it would help in qualifying for other types of aid. There are somewhat minimal options for applying for aid when being disaster survivors, but even less that we actually meet the requirements for.

As of right now, we won’t have a place to stay by tomorrow. If we have to keep using gas and food money on rent, it won’t last us the month. We will soon be homeless. We are in need of immediate help, and any and all donations are greatly appreciated. I intend to use funds primarily for permanent housing, and secondarily for any basic needs and/or temporary housing. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our disaster case, and thank you so much to those who can donate as well. Thank you and God bless you all.