An Arlington family says they lost everything after a fire tore through their home overnight, sending the three people inside to the hospital.
It happened on Lomita Lane around 5 a.m. on Sunday. The victims told NBC 5 that despite their heavy losses, they were lucky to escape alive.
As soon as his wife woke him up early Sunday morning Brayan Velarde knew something was wrong.
“My eyes were burning,” Velarde said. “My son, he was like there’s a lot of smoke, there’s a lot of smoke.”
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The family’s Arlington home was engulfed in fire that was spreading quickly.
“I was in shock,” Velarde said. “I didn’t know what to think, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to react.”
Velarde said he, his wife and their 8-year-old son ran outside with the clothes on their back, calling 911.
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All three of them had to be hospitalized after suffering prolonged exposure to the chemicals burning inside the home.
“Like smoke, everything you know,” Velarde said. “I was spitting black.”
When the family was eventually discharged, they found the home cleared out by flames. The kitchen was reduced to a shell from the fire, which Velarde believed was caused by an electrical issue.
He said his son was still suffering lingering health issues from the fire – and didn’t understand their loss.
“Telling us what are we going to do, where are we going to go, what are we going to do with our clothes or everything,” Velarde said. “He’s like can we go home, and we can’t.”
Velarde said the family didn’t have insurance and will face tens of thousands of dollars just to clean up the damage.
He said they didn’t know where they would sleep or get new clothes.
“We’re just hoping that we can get help, and hopefully we can do something about this,” Velarde said. “Because obviously, we’re not going to be able to live here for a while.”
