HOUSTON — A Houston couple lost nearly everything in a house fire on Christmas morning. Now, their daughter tells KHOU her parents need help.
The fire happened at the Woodway Garden Townhomes in west Houston. Esther Zamora, 83, and Pedro Zamora, 85, are now living with family.
Around 10:00 am on Monday, Ruth Pilarte said her parents called her and sounded frantic.
"When I picked up the phone, she said, 'There's been a fire, everything's gone, there's a fire," Pilarte said.
Pilarte believes her parents only escaped because of two good Samaritans.
“My stepdad heard them and they said, 'You have to get out, you have to get out immediately there’s a fire.' And he went to get my mom. But if they had not been there, I don’t know how this would have turned out," Pilarte said.
By the time she, her husband and her daughter got there, the family was only able to save a few things from the fire, including her mother's insulin, a few Bibles and some family heirlooms.
"I was able to pull maybe a few plates and that’s it. Everything else is gone, she doesn’t have any clothes. They lost everything," Pilarte said.
After the fire, Pilarte said her parents' cat Eleanor was missing, though a day later, her father returned to the townhouse and found her safe.
“We see him coming through the gate and he’s just crying hysterical and he has Eleanor in his arms, and all he kept saying was material things don’t matter, we have Eleanor here," Pilarte said.
Despite losing so much, the family said they are grateful to be alive. The Zamoras are now left to start over.
Pilarte said her parents have never been the kind to ask for help, but neighbors and friends have already stepped up to get them back on their feet.
“There’s still so much more to be done but they’ve helped my parents so much," Pilarte said. "So thank you.”
Pilarte told KHOU the senior couple wants to keep their independence, so they've already found a new small apartment, but don't have much to fill it with.
If you want to help, Pilarte set up this GoFundMe page to help her parents get back on their feet.