Joined by family near and far, a Corpus Christi woman is continuing to sift through blackened, smoke-damaged belongings in hopes to recover something from Wednesday’s fire.
It was around 4:30 a.m. when Sylvia Tuttle heard an alarm at her home at 905 Nandina Dr. At first, she and her husband both thought it was a break-in. It wasn’t until Sylvia received a phone call from their security company that she realized something else was wrong. Still thinking he was dealing with a break-in, her husband stepped out.
“He was, at the same time, coming towards to tell me that it was a fire,” Tuttle said.
While her husband released their three dogs from their kennels, she was able to move her car away from their house. Tuttle, her husband and their three dogs were able to escape unharmed.
Today, a massive dumpster next to their home is full. She says the amount of loss they’re dealing with now is taking a toll.
“We lost his truck — just about everything,” Tuttle said.
The cause of the fire was from the water heater in the garage.
Although the house was not insured, she’s clinging onto hope that it can possibly be restored.
“I am praying that it is. This is my home. This is where my kids grew up,” Tuttle said.
For now, Tuttle and her husband are staying in a friend's RV. She’s used her vacation time so that she can go through her tattered things, but as the sole provider of her family, she will soon have to return to work.
“I’m coming every day to clean up and see what I can save,” she said. “We haven’t stopped...since I got here at 8 o’clock and until the sun goes down — got to do what I can. Come back tomorrow — start again.”
For those who want to help, a GoFundMe page has been created for the couple.
