<div>My name is Tyler Trust. I was affected by the Mather fire that took place. At first, I had seen just a little bit of smoke, but soon enough it was clear this was serious. From just a little bit of smoke, the whole place was soon filled. I rushed without even thinking and grabbed my baby sister Ruby and rushed her out, then went back in to make sure my dad and Sara got out. Having nothing but my socks on, I rushed outside without a thought of grabbing my wallet or shoes on one of the coldest days in PA we've had in a long time. Being practically barefoot and outside, I soon saw the chaos and screaming from the other victims. I rushed back into the burning apartments multiple times to help. In doing so, I was able to help the elderly lady and her wheelchair-bound son get out and pulled some of their belongings out for them. I tried to act selflessly by helping multiple people carry out as many personal belongings as I could before the fire fully engulfed the building and had fire debris falling on me, while also being on call with dispatch to give them precise information so when they eventually showed up, their job would be easier. I may have not put out the fires; however, I believe with my quick thinking and being one of the only calm ones on the scene, I was able to help the situation as much as I could before they showed up. I'm not saying this to sound special but simply stating the fact that in my selfless actions, I was able to help multiple people out at the cost of not being able to save any of my own personal belongings or pets. Losing my animals is a tough pill to swallow as it is, but to make it worse was being on the scene the day after, to walk into what was left of what I once called my “room.” That wasn’t easy. It was such a weird feeling seeing the place you lived for so many years being nothing less than ash and rubble, and a barely standing wall, to the point where I couldn’t visualize what was once in my room. All I could visualize were the flames that had taken everything. The hardest part was looking at the ground and finding what was left of one of my cats, and I say “one of” because what was left was a burnt carcass frozen in a block of ice from the cold night, and I couldn’t even identify which cat it was. Although I’m grown enough to understand the circle of life and natural animal deaths in the past have stung me, I was able to process it and move on in a timely manner. However, walking out with what was left of my pet knowing it burned alive and I couldn’t save it bothered me. I always try to help others and take pride in it, but to me, I failed these animals. I’m happy I could at least help the others out, and if I could do it differently, I’d do it the same exact way. Knowing I helped those people get out and assisting my other neighbor to save his belongings and kids' toys is a plus. I may have not saved everything that night, but I’d like to believe I did the best I could with what little time I had. Although personal belongings can be replaced, the memories of that place and the animals will be forgotten in due time. What was once a store, turned to apartment buildings that sat in the middle of the small town of Mather, will be fully demolished very soon. It wasn’t the perfect place to live, but it was the place myself and many called home for so long. I’m not one to generally ask for money, but I feel like in this situation, every dollar counts. I don’t expect to hit my goal; I’m just setting it a little higher to see where this goes. And if you’re reading this by now, even just sharing this story will go a long way because in times like this, seeing the community helping and sharing these stories is amazing. There was a GoFundMe started by my dad; however, my name wasn’t on his, so I started my own. I figured with me raising my own money, I can touch the hearts of more people, and even if my name isn’t on his, I’d still use part of this money on him and most importantly my baby sister Ruby. <strong>I lost thousands of dollars in electronics, memorabilia, driver's license, and my car keys. So being able to replace some of these items would help out a lot.</strong> I appreciate anyone who can help and share this, and if you made it this far, thanks for being here. God bless.
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Dwayne Visk

Bradley Bledsoe

Bryan Mora

Anonymous

Diane Severson

Gina Trust

Brandi Skinger

Sandra Santerre

ALEJ SAMURAI Gonzalez

Rebuilding After the Mather Fire: Tyler's Story

Rebuilding After the Mather Fire: Tyler's Story

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