HOUSTON — The community is coming together to help a Three Brothers Bakery employee after his southwest Houston home was destroyed in a fire he believes ignited from downed power lines from Hurricane Beryl.
"'Se está quemando la casa,'" Jesus Gonzalez remembered his neighbor saying when he knocked on the door to warn him that flames were taking over his home.
Decades of hard work and sacrifice went up in flames overnight.
"Veintidos anos de esfuerzo y sacrificio ... se acabo de la noche a la manana," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said it only took a matter of seconds for the fire to grow into a raging inferno and turn everything in its path to ash, including his kitchen.
"Como quedo mi cocina, completamente demolida, completamente Quemada," he said. "Se volvio un infierno."
He and his family were left only with the clothes they were wearing.
"Muy tragico," he said.
It's a tragic situation, but Gonzalez said they're thankful to be alive.
Gonzalez believes the fire started with downed power lines on his neighbor's home. When Beryl brought strong winds, he thinks it spread to his house.
"No pudimos sacar nada," he said.
They weren't able to save anything -- forced to leave everything they had behind as the flames took over their home and reduced their belongings to ash.
Gonzalez works at Three Brothers Bakery -- you might have tried his baked goods.
The owners stepped up to collect donations for Gonzalez and his family during their time of need.
"Muchisimas gracias la verdad. Que Dios me los bendiga," Gonzalez said.
He was thankful for the support and believed the thing that saved him and his family was one of the only things that made it through the fire -- a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
"Teniendo fe," he said.
Their faith got them through it.
For now, they're sleeping at a neighbor's house but know things will get better with time.
"Primaremente Dios vamos a salir Adelante," he said.
The family set up a GoFundMe account to help them recover.
There's also going to be a cookout to raise money for them on Saturday, July 20 at 4019 Darlinghurst Drive. It starts at 11 a.m. and they'll serve food until they run out. Fajitas, chicken, sausage, rice, beans, pico de gallo and drinks will be on the menu.