PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Shore Acres family loses their home from a fire during Hurricane Idalia.
Oxalis Garcia said her family evacuated their Shore Acres home before the hurricane. She said a storm surge flooded the neighborhood.
On August 30, her house caught on fire. She lived at the home with her husband and teenage son.
"My neighbor called me and said, 'Your house is on fire'," said Garcia.
"We tried at that moment to go into Shore Acres to see our home, but the water was so high we couldn't get in," she said.
Garcia and her family were not home at the time. They had evacuated before the hurricane to a friend's house. She said firefighters could not determine the cause of the fire, but the home was a total loss.
Her family is staying with nearby family members.
"The emotions actually sank in for the first time that night because we really couldn't see, and we still had hope that something could be salvaged, but after we learned that the house completely burned because firefighters couldn't really get in, they couldn't do anything because of the levels of water," said Garcia.
Garcia said her family lost all of their possessions. She said the clothes she's wearing were donated to her.
"The property was a total loss. The property was condemned. It has to be demolished," she said.
Garcia said her family is receiving an overwhelming amount of support. People have donated clothes to her family and gift cards.
A GoFundMe page has collected more than $17,000. People are also buying items off of an Amazon Wish List.
"There's two things I want to say to the community. One, thank you, thank you for the support. Thank you for the help. The reality is we would not be where we are if it had not been for the support that we have received and two, when the officials say evacuate, evacuate," she said.
"Heed the warning because our situation could have been much worse had we been home."
To learn more about how to help the Garcia family, visit gofundme.com/OXALISBURNEDHOUSERELIEF
