Piles of ash, warped metal and smoldering debris hardly resemble a home, but that’s all that remains after Frank and Delilah Fackler were forced to escape around 7 p.m. Thursday in Hunt County.
“It looked like smoke coming up from the garbage disposal. And then the alarms all went off, so I hollered at her to get the dogs and get out,” said Frank Fackler.
One day later, Fackler said he remembers seeing flames shooting from a recently repaired furnace.
When it comes to what’s next, Delilah said the couple is focused on finding homes, some temporary and others permanent, for the dogs, horses and donkeys they rescue.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
“One step at a time,” she said.
Among the losses in their Campbell, Texas home, the most painful are the four dogs and one cat that couldn’t be saved.
“The cops, the firefighters had to drag me out because I was trying to go back in for them,” said Delilah.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The couple also lost essentials like their wallets and medicine, clothes and heirlooms.
On her phone, Delilah scrolled through photos of Fackler’s awards and mementos from his service in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and later the Air Force.
“I took these pictures yesterday because our granddaughter was doing a special thing at school for Veterans Day,” she said. “That man has definitely served our country well.”
But this Veterans Day, rather than reflect, Fackler’s forced to look ahead at a life waiting to be rebuilt.
“You’ve got to think positive. You can’t think negative. That won’t get you anywhere,” he said.
The Facklers said the Red Cross is assisting them with a hotel while they figure out next steps for their home.
A GoFundMe account has also been set up to help the Facklers rebuild.
