Los Gatos family ‘lost everything’ after fire destroys home, thieves loot what was left

LOS GATOS, Calif. (KRON) — A Los Gatos family loses everything after their home of almost 30 years catches fire. Then, thieves targeted the home — looting what was left.

The family of five is now displaced, and the home is locked up. Walls have kept anyone from entering the home, and the community is now rallying around the family to help.

“Raising three kids here, living our life here, it’s actually surreal,” said homeowner Jeff Burdsall.

Last Thursday, just after noon, the Burdsall’s family home of 29 years quickly went up in flames. The home and almost everything in it — wiped out.

”Worst thing you can ever hear is your son screaming the house is on fire, and the first thing I thought was he was inside,” Burdsall said. “It’s memories, and it’s hard to replace those memories that were lost, but it’s just memories, and we’ll keep it with us, and it’s just physical things that we can replace.”

Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The next day, Burdsall went to see if anything could be saved and was shocked to find he wasn’t the only one who had been inside.

”I noticed when I opened the makeshift door that things were moved around, and it didn’t make things and somebody had looted us,” Burdsall said. “I just stood here, and at one point, I just started bawling because you’re down, and then somebody does thi,s and it just feels like a swift kick in the head.”

The thieves took his wife’s jewelry, his melted headphones, his daughter’s old phone, her grandfather’s guitar, and whatever else was spared by the fire.

Burdsall says the heartbreak is unimaginable, but the silver lining has been a wave of support as they figure out what to do next.

“It’s amazing — the outpouring of love for people you never met before and your neighbors and the community,” Burdsall said. “I’m grateful.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Burdsall family. It has raised nearly $5,000 as of this report.