Fire displaces family, destroys SCV Santa Claus' Christmas props

Palmdale Santa Claus' home burns down

A Palmdale family's home burned down, including the props that the family uses to spread the holiday cheers.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - "I remember screaming, 'Mom, the yard is on fire!'" says Domenica Spargifiore about the blaze that spread to their Palmdale home on August 23.

There was barely time to escape, carrying some of their family pets. Unfortunately, a Chihuahua named Angel, along with some abandoned kittens the little dog had recently brought in and was caring for, did not make it.

The fire also claimed thousands of dollars' worth of props the family has used for many years in their nonprofit Christmas organization, SCV Santa. Many of these props were handmade or specialty items that are no longer available, such as their life-sized Santa. Toys they'd been collecting all year to give to children were also destroyed.

Friends and neighbors have set up a GoFundMe page to help them begin to recover, especially the SCV Santa items. Those looking to help can click here.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the family, echoing neighbors, told FOX 11 that people have been setting off fireworks almost every night leading up to the Labor Day holiday.