Yesterday, on the 28th of March, 2026, the home that provided shelter and comfort to me, my two sisters Valeria and Paola, my brother Alejandro, my parents Jesus and Maria, our three dogs Lola, Chapo, and Daisy, and our two cats Alvin and Shawty for over 10 years tragically caught fire.

I was FaceTiming with my little sister while she opened a package I sent her from GA, when she stopped and with fear in her voice told me she had to hang up, because she had just been told the house was actively on fire. My little brother was asleep in the room near the exterior wall the fire started on, and hadn’t been woken up by the fire or smoke outside. Our family was able to run in his room and shake him up. Everything happened so quickly and sudden, he wasn’t even able to grab his phone, keys or anything else, all now lost along with the rest of every possession he’s ever known. The fire department arrived quickly, but the fire spread throughout the house, destroying everything on the side it began on, and causing significant damage even to the opposite side of the house. Leaving soot, water damage, smoke damage and debris all across the house.

The Red Cross came by today, March 29th, and said it was a total loss, and most of my families earthly possessions have been destroyed. More heartbreakingly, my dad and little brother built the majority of this house by hand over the course of my sibling and I’s childhoods. This house was a work of pride for them, and was the place where so many of our family memories took place. It saw all four of my siblings graduate high school (and two of us graduate college), it saw us some of us learn to drive our cars for the first time, it saw each of us get our first jobs, and it has continued to watch over the safety and growth of my family the entire time.

I’m helping my family in whatever ways I can manage all the way from Georgia, and many of our lovely neighbors are providing assistance in any ways they can, but losing the house is only the beginning of the long and difficult process on the road to having a safe place for my family to sleep again.

I humbly ask any of you reading this to help my family to any degree possible as they go through his horrifying experience. Just reading this message is a huge help, and I can’t thank you enough for it. If you and your families can spare any financial support, it would be greatly appreciated, and if not, just sharing this page with friends, family, and strangers would also be an incredible help.

I thank you all again for your time, empathy, and support.

Carla Martinez