No one injured in blaze that destroyed home; photos, love letters were all that remained

Published in the Feb. 5, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Marty Cheek

Photo courtesy of Josselyn Aguayo Several members of the Aguayo family look through photos that were saved from the fire.

Photo courtesy of Josselyn Aguayo
Several members of the Aguayo family look through photos that were saved from the fire.

The fire quickly turned their home into gray ashes. The six Aguayo family members are now living in a South Valley hotel as they work to readjust their lives after losing almost all of their material possessions when their house was destroyed in a Jan. 22 fire.

Josselyn Aguayo, a 17-year-old Sobrato High School senior, is grateful no one was hurt in the blaze. She wasn’t home when the fire started in her family residence on Moreno Lane, a neighborhood near the New Avenue intersection north of Gilroy. But her mom Elentina, her sister Mirabel, and Mirabel’s 6-year-old daughter E’angelo faced the terror of the house fire ignited when her mother started doing laundry.

“It started when my mom turned on the dryer,” Josselyn said. “She had gone to go shower, and she put my little niece to bed because my sister was going to be out. My sister had already left but for some reason she came back because she had missed an appointment.”

When Mirabel returned, she entered E’angelo’s room to check on the child.

“Her room is right next to the laundry room,”Josselyn said. “She started smelling smoke. She walked out into the hallway to see what was the smell and when she turned around, the whole room was in flames already. She ran back, she got her daughter and left her outside and ran back to get my mom. She was knocking on the (bathroom) door to tell her to get out. And then she got a bucket of water to try to put the fire out.”

Elentina rushed out of the bathroom to find the living room in flames and the fire rapidly spreading. “They tried to get stuff out, but it took less than five minutes for the walls to crumble,” Josselyn said.

Photo courtesy of Josselyn Aguayo Ruins of home after fire.

Photo courtesy of Josselyn Aguayo
Ruins of home after fire.

Mirabel’s car was parked next to the house. As the flames grew more intense, the woman rushed back into her bedroom to try to find her keys so she could move her vehicle. She couldn’t find the keys.

“She kicked the window open to try to reach inside but she felt the flames,” Josselyn said.

Two vehicles and the house were a total loss.

“The only things we were able to save were my parents love letters and the photographs,” Josselyn said. “Those were the only two things that survived. They somehow survived.”

Now, the six members of the Aguayo family, which also includes Josselyn’s father Arturo and her 2-year-old nephew Hennessy, are seeking a home.

“We’ve gotten a lot of donations, so right now I think we’re just managing OK. But we need a more stable place to stay right now,” Josselyn said. “I still haven’t fully processed everything that’s happened, but when I see all the (donated) things coming in, it truly moves me.”

To help the Aguayos, the Sobrato High School Home and School Club has set up a special checking account with Chase Bank, said Edie Atkins, counseling support at the high school. The goal is to raise $12,000 to pay for two months rent for the family, she said, guessing that rent will probably be about $2,800 a month.

“The rest of the money will be allotted to buy furnishings and housewares for the home,” she said.

Josselyn is involved in the Interact Club organized by the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill. She’s also part of the Youth Action Council in Morgan Hill which plans youth events and raises funds for youth and teen activities in the community.

“In many ways, she is the head of the household,” Atkins said. “Her mom and dad, bless their hearts, they work hard and the neat part of Josselyn is that as soon as she’s out of school, she’s often care-taking for her siblings. Beyond that, she also does amazing stuff in the community. ”

Photo courtesy of Josselyn Aguayo Ruins of home after fire

Photo courtesy of Josselyn Aguayo
Ruins of home after fire

The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill collected more than $1,000 to help the family at its Jan. 29 meeting, said Victoria Battison, director of publicity for the club.

“That’s what Rotary is and that’s what Rotarians are,” she said. “We care about our community and we care about people. And when people need help, we give them help.”

The generosity of South Valley people during her family’s time of need has touched Josselyn’s heart.

“I just really want to say that we’re so thankful to the community and appreciate all the generosity and everything everyone is donating to us,” she said.