BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Volunteers came out to a mobile home on the south side Saturday morning to help clean up after a fire on May 31 destroyed the home of grandmother Sylvia Rios.
For 24 years Rios has built a life in her mobile home on Lamm Road in South Bexar County. She was raising her 9 grandchildren there until about two weeks ago, when a fire from her air conditioner destroyed much of her home.
There is history here: clothes, toys and books swept up with the ashes.
“To see everything burned down, it was heartbreaking,” said Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark, who came out to help.
Adame-Clark is no stranger to the Rios family. For over a year she had worked with area non-profits to clean up the property. Now, they are clearing it away.
“When we heard about it, we just were absolutely sickened,” said Denise Patterson, secretary with Riders United 4 Children. We knew we had to come out here to help her to see what we could do to get her back on her feet again.”
Many of the volunteers are with the Alamo chapter of Riders United for Children. Together they cleared out much of the property to make room for a new mobile home. But much of the house still stands, and there is only so much volunteers can do.
“We’re going to hire a contractor to come out here to demolish the whole thing and take it out,” Patterson said. “Of course, that’s going to be costly so we’re going to need people to step up and help us with donations to make that happen.”
They also hope someone out there is willing to donate or discount a mobile home for a family looking to build a new life on the ashes of the old.
“Hopefully I can come back and be with all of my kids again here.” Rios said.
Southside ISD has set up a relief fund for the Rios family, and Riders United 4 Childen, Alamo Chapter have posted donation instructions on their Facebook page.