CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - A Coral Gables family is asking for aid after their longtime home went up in flames during a difficult time in their lives.
It has been a tough weekend for Cristina Ferbeyre and her loved ones after a fire consumed the house that has been in their family for generations.
“I’m here where I grew up. This is my grandmother’s house. She left it for us,” said Ferbeyre.
Thirty firefighters from Coral Gables Fire Rescue were called out to the residence along the 800 block of Ortega Avenue, Friday night.
The damage forced everyone in the home out, leaving them displaced.
“Crews encountererd very heavy smoke and fire. It was a considerable-sized fire,” said Coral Gables Fire Rescue Lt. Daniel Amador. “The fire was so intense that it actually went through the roof, and we had to attack it from on top of the roof.”
Two aunts, two uncles and a cousin lived in the home, which they couldn’t afford to insure.
That’s just one pressing issue the family now faces. One of the aunts is scheduled to undergo cancer surgery on Tuesday.
Ferbeyre said they are coming to terms with just how much they’ve lost.
“We’re left with nothing. All our memories are left in there,” she said as she fought back tears.
Now she’s asking for the community’s help as her family members try to rebuild.
“Any support, anything, so that I can be able to get them situated for maybe a little bit or long-term,” said Ferbeyre. “Maybe a month or two or three, ’cause this is gonna be a long-term situation.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help defray expenses. If you’d like to make a donation, click here.
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