SOUTH OGDEN, Utah — A South Ogden family is picking up the pieces after a fire destroyed their home on Saturday.
Apri Castillo said she and her husband, Benjamin, were at work Saturday morning when she received a call from her mother, Lisa Angulo.
"She said 'the house is up in flames,' and then it hung up," said Castillo.
She said she and her husband quickly left work and headed out to the parking lot.
"We look over and we can see smoke that was coming from our house," said Castillo.
Inside the home at the time were her seven children, her five younger siblings, her niece, and her mother.
"I noticed one of my granddaughters was not with us, so I ran back downstairs because she always likes to sneak down there where my area is, and she was on the floor asleep," Angulo said. "[I] grabbed her and I ran out."
While all the human members of the family made it out safely, their two dogs, a Boxer and a German Shepherd, did not.
"My German Shepherd, she was amazing," Angulo said. " I’ve lost three German Shepherds this year.
On top of the loss of their pets, things like pictures and memories were also destroyed in the blaze.
"There was a rose, the day we got married, and it was in my room, and it was on the dresser. It’s gone," said Castillo.
Now, the community is stepping up to help this family get back on their feet.
"I feel it's only fair — they pour out a lot of their love to others and to receive that back for this family is just amazing," said Bree Moreno, a longtime family friend.
Moreno has known the family for years, and together they attend the non-denominational People's Church located in Ogden.
Moreno, Sara Gorostieta and others have been taking up donations for the family since the fire happened.
"Anything from clothing to formula, to diapers, wipes, shoes," Moreno said. "We’ve been out and about today and yesterday picking up donations all the way from Kaysville to Ogden."
Moreno says they plan to gather donations as long as people are willing to pitch in and help the family.
As for the family, they are just thankful the fire wasn't much worse.
"Even though it looks like a tragedy, there are so many blessings," said Castillo.
That includes a bible (pictured below) that was able to be salvaged from the fire. Angulo said she asked firefighters if they could go inside the home and look for it.
About an hour later, firefighters found the bible and returned it to her. Besides smelling like smoke, Angulo said the bible is intact.
The family told FOX 13 News they are staying with a friend right now as they look for a more permanent residence in South Ogden.
According to a release on the South Ogden City Facebook page, the extensive damage to the home is still under routine investigation at this time. They went on to thank several agencies for their quick response to the fire on Saturday. That includes the South Ogden Fire Department, South Ogden Police Department, Weber Fire District, Washington Terrace Fire Department, Ogden City Fire Department, Riverdale Fire Department, and Roy City Fire & Rescue.
Moreno said anyone who wants to help the family can reach out to her and Gorostieta directly on Facebook. They can also donate money directly to the family through their Venmo accounts, under the usernames "@Alisia7" and "@Apri-Castillo".
