A California family managed to escape the fast-approaching flames of the Tick Fire on Thursday, but they lost their home, beloved animals and just about everything they had.
Samantha Hull, her partner Sammy Corrales and their family had little time to race home prepare to evacuate as the flames of the explosive wildfire charged toward their home.
“We had maybe 20 or 30 minutes. By then, it was basically surrounding us,” Corrales told KTLA.
Hull said she got her mother out of the home, then set to work rescuing as many animals as she could.
“We didn’t get anything out of the house,”she said. “When we came back up, the main thing was to get whatever live animals were here and leave.”
They said they were able to save many of the animals, including a pig, sheep and chickens. But others, including three sheep, a pet bird, several reptiles, a chinchilla and rabbits perished in the blaze.
The fate of some of the other animals was not yet clear.
A dog is missing, but Hull said she was holding out home that the animal managed to escape and is still alive.
It felt surreal to sift through the ashes of their home, the famiy said.
“It kind of feels like a nightmare that we’re trapped in now,” Corrales said.
Among the items lost in the fire were the ashes of Hull’s grandmother.
The family said they’re not yet sure how they will proceed.
“We’re going one day at a time right now,” Hull said. “Wherever we end up is where we’re going to go.”
But they said they’ve received a lot of support from the community.
A fund to help the family has been set up online and had garnered more than $10,000 in donations Friday night.
