Fire leaves 4 kids, their parents, without a home in Madera County

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A family in the Madera County foothills is finding strength in their community after losing their home to a fire Tuesday night.

“I don’t think I have stopped crying in two days, but only some of those tears are from sadness. The rest are from the overwhelming love I am feeling from all of you,” Carrie Dobson, the mother of the family, said. “We have a long way to go and many struggles ahead, but your kindness and generosity have padded the fall more than you know.”

According to the family’s eldest daughter, Amiya Smith, the fire completely gutted the home, leaving her four siblings and parents to rebuild from scratch.

“They lost everything,” she said. “This is such a hard thing for me to watch everyone go through, but they are still in the highest spirits they can be given the circumstances. Their resiliency in times like this blows me away.”

While years of priceless memories and sentimental heirlooms cannot be replaced, they are praying someone is able to find their cat, Gypsy.

“I don’t think she got out,” Dobson said. “I called and called for her and left the door open, but haven’t seen her since. I just keep praying she ran and hid somewhere.”

Smith says they are accepting donations for her 4, 10, and 12-year-old brothers, her 7-year-old sister, and her parents. A GoFundMe for the family can be found here.