'Everything Is Gone.' RivCo Family Clings To Each Other Amid The Ashes

BANNING, CA — A Riverside County family who moved to Banning in January has nothing left but the clothes on their backs after their apartment home went up in flames a week ago. Now, they are clinging to each other after the loss of their home and the death of their beloved dog, Mia.

On Saturday, the Banning family of four left their apartment for dinner. Their dog, Mia, remained at home.

Ten minutes later, they got a call saying their house was on fire. They gave Patch a reaccount of their story while they are in the midst of trying to figure out what's next.

"We rushed back, and our apartment was in flames, torched," the father, who asked to be referred to as MG, told Patch, his voice choked with emotion. "The neighbors were outside, the medics were there, and our dog Mia was gone. She was trapped inside and did not survive. We lost everything."

Left heartbroken and homeless, they are staying with family and in hotels with some assistance from the Red Cross.

Left With Nothing But Each Other

Supporters have established a GoFundMe to help with the bare essentials, a down payment on a new apartment for the family. So far, the fundraiser has raised just over $3,250 for that effort as friends and loved ones share their support.

According to the fundraiser, all donations will go directly toward replacing furniture, clothing and baby supplies to help them get back on their feet during this difficult time.

Jennifer Seda set up the GoFundMe page for her sister's family.

"They were so excited to start this new chapter together, but in an instant, everything changed," she wrote on the fundraising site. "The fire took nearly all of their belongings, leaving them with only what they could carry out that night. It's heartbreaking to see them face such a loss after working so hard to build a home for their family."

The sudden loss of their beloved dog has been absolutely unimaginable, the mother of two, who asked to be referred to as NS, said.

"We raised Mia from a tiny puppy. She was three years old and a part of our family. I can't believe she's gone."

One Week Later.

Saturday will be a week since the blaze, and there are still no answers about what caused the fire. With investigators still conducting research, it could take several weeks or months to determine what sparked the blaze.

"We were given the number to the (property) management company, but so far, they've refused to work with us," she said.

Apartment Site Manager Thomas Harrison told Patch that the fire began somewhere on the balcony side of the apartment. "We tried to put it out with an extinguisher, but then the whole place went up," he said. "It went fast, and we called 911."

The blaze quickly extended through the apartment, destroying the upstairs of the multi-unit building, killing the dog that was trapped inside.

After the firefight, Harrison said there was extensive damage to the over-50-year-old building.

"I wish we could get approval to have a company come in and get rid of the charred wood," he said. "The smoke is permeating everything all around. You can't miss it. It's so intense."

He spent the day Friday with Building and Safety officials from the City of Banning.

"They said it could take 18 months or more to get that apartment back to livable again," Harrison said. "It's utterly destroyed."

The units beneath and around it flooded with a large amount of water from the firefight, he said. "At least everyone had renters' insurance, so that's helpful."

According to Harrison, the staff at the apartments is renovating an empty unit for the displaced downstairs tenant whose home was flooded and marred with smoke.

With their apartment home gutted by fire from balcony to inside, they told Patch there was nothing on the balcony, save for a crate and a high chair. "There was no reason a blaze could have begun there. It had to be something else."

They still have nowhere to go, though they would gladly move within the apartment complex.

"We called the management company, which told us that they would not be able to re-house us," she said. "We asked for the deposit back so that we could go somewhere else, and they said that they would speak with our attorney. We don't have an attorney. That was the first conversation we ever had with (the management company). I don't know why they wouldn't help us."

Patch has reached out to the management company regarding tenant relocations via email and will update this report once answers are received.

In the meantime, they have a little Red Cross assistance, which is enough to pay for a few nights at a hotel. They are also waiting for renters' insurance to come through.

Everything takes time, and they can't get an answer from the apartments' management company, she said.

"We're just looking for any financial help, if we have to relocate, paying a deposit and the first month's rent," she said. "Our management is not working with us yet; they're still holding our deposit, and we have nothing."

"I Had A Home. My Home Is Gone."

On the day of the fire, Nicole was trying to charge her cell phone in the living room when she noticed it wouldn't charge. She moved the phone to another outlet, then another within that area of the apartment, she told Patch.

"None of the outlets would work in the kitchen and living room, which shares a wall with the balcony," she said. "Another neighbor told us he was also having electrical problems, like we had, on Saturday. We don't know what happened or why. We're grasping."

Fire creates a line of demarcation, before and after.

That morning, they had toothbrushes. They had clothes in the closets, and the kids had their favorite pajamas and beds to sleep in. Now, they need to start from scratch.

Trying to put their total loss in words is almost impossible, said the father. With frayed nerves, they rely on hope and a lot of prayer to get them through the day, weeks and months ahead.

"I had a home. My home is gone. We're going place to place," Michael said. "I'll do what I've got to do to keep it together. We have a beautiful daughter that I love so much, and my fiancée and my son are everything. It's just a devastating time."

Right now, he's focused on his job, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy while needing absolutely everything to start over. "We have nothing left but each other."

The pair relocated from Moreno Valley to Banning in January to an affordable upstairs unit in the Wilson Garden Apartments. The rent was less expensive than in Moreno Valley, and his job was nearby. Though their apartment is gone, his work remains.

"I still have my job, so that's something," MG said. "You just don't think things like this are going to happen to you. All the stuff we built for years is gone. We know God won't give us more than we can handle, but we can't help but keep asking 'Why?'"

How To Help: Help support this Banning family on their GoFundMe.