Firefighters save family's precious belongings from burning home
Firefighters save precious belongings from fires
FOX 11's Chelsea Edwards spoke with families who lost almost everything in the Mountain Fire in Camarillo, but were able to salvage precious relics from the flames.
CAMARILLO, Calif. - As Jennifer Bliman watched news footage of her Camarillo home engulfed in flames, one horrifying thought consumed her mind.
"I was actually imagining this going up in flames, and to see it in the car was actually extremely emotional," she said, holding a portrait of her children that had been saved from the fire.
In November, the Mountain Fire tore through the Blimans' hilltop community, reducing their home to ashes. When the family returned, two of their cars were not where they had left them.
"They were over there," Bliman said, pointing to the street. "And then we opened the door... some of our stuff was in it!"
Firefighters had loaded the cars with belongings and moved them to safety while the home burned around them.
"They found our car keys in our kitchen, which meant they had to walk down some steps and go into the kitchen where there had to have been flames. And we know there were flames because some of the things they saved, you can see burn marks," Bliman said.
Among the recovered items were family photos, books, electronics, and musical instruments.
"They would go out and get air, and then they would go back out and get more," Bliman said. "The fire captain fortunately had a love for Star Trek, as does my husband, so he grabbed a bunch of the Star Trek stuff and put it in the car... just amazing."
"You don't expect this from anybody," she added. "I mean, they went through a lot to do this for us, so we're really grateful."
The family considers the firefighters heroes.
"Honestly, that's really amazing for them to say. We all really don't feel like heroes at all. We really gave it everything to try and save their home we lost. But the fire was too much for us. We wish we could have done more," Ventura County Fire Department Captain Michael Cosio said to Fox 11. "I will say that the communities around us have been amazing. We have received a huge amount of appreciation and love from everyone. Our whole crew sees it and feels it."
Now, months into the recovery and rebuilding process, the Blimans have advice for others impacted by recent wildfires.
"Give it time and it will get better," Bliman said. "Because in the very beginning for us, it was like—what are we going to do? Now what? And I'm sure everybody feels that way. But then as you go on with this new journey, each little step, it's kind of like—ooh—I think I can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel."
A professional French horn player, Bliman is working on a project documenting the rebuilding of their home, which will be modeled after the original—but with a few upgrades.
"As close to that house as possible, with some things that will be a little bit better," she said with a laugh.
"You don't hear stories like this," she added. "You don't hear about people getting anything—any of their stuff back. I really thought everything was just gone."