Virgen de Guadalupe statue left standing after fire destroys Donna family's home
A family of 9 in Donna lost everything in a house fire, but their faith is keeping them going.
The fire destroyed a mobile home on Aurora Valley Drive over the Labor Day weekend. All that remained standing was a statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe.
Hilda Garcia said her mom and eight sisters had lived in the home for 13 years.
"All my teenage years and everything were here," Garcia said.
Garcia's mom was working as a delivery driver when the fire broke out. None of the sisters were home at the time.
"She was dropping off an order around these colonias, and she saw a lot of smoke in this area and all the firefighters," Garcia said. "When she came, she found it was her house. She broke down crying."
The Hidalgo County Fire Marshal said the fire is still under investigation. The cause is undetermined, but the fire may have been caused by someone without a license working on the home's electrical system.
Treviño Plumbing, Electrical & HVAC Director of Operations Hector Flores said hiring unlicensed workers can create serious safety risks.
"If you hire someone who doesn't have a license, you don't know what they are doing,” Flores said.
The family did not have insurance. Despite losing everything, they plan to rebuild with the statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe in mind.
A GoFundMe was created to help the family recover from the fire. Click here to donate.
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