GREENVILLE (NBC 26) — After an early morning fire, the Troncoso family says there's hardly anything left of the place they called "home."
- The Troncoso family is assessing the damage to their home after a devastating early morning grease fire destroyed much of it
- While Maria and Michael Troncoso escaped with their dog, the family lost two pet birds and is now without homeowners insurance
- A GoFundMe has been set up to support the first-generation family as they navigate the loss and search for a new home
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details for the web)
Sisters Sammanta and Abbey, along with their mother Maria, looked through what once was their house just off Prospect Avenue for the first time Tuesday afternoon after a fire destroyed their home the day before.
"It wasn't much, but the thing is this is where the family would get together. Now we're just trying to pick up the pieces," Sammanta Troncoso said.
Sammanta said a grease fire broke out, and her mother, as well as her little brother Michael, tried to put it out.
"I got a phone call from my brother. He's like 'Sam, the house burned down,' and I was having a hard time believing it. Then I came here and I could not believe what I saw," Sammanta said.
Maria and Michael were able to escape with their dog, but their two pet birds died. The Greenville Fire Department responded to put out the fire and said the family did not have homeowners insurance.
So Sammanta said they didn’t just lose their home.
"I mean, we're first generation. We barely have anything to live off of. Now… after this… I don't even know how we are going to survive," Sammanta said.
But for now, they’re just thankful for everyone who’s helping them.
"Did everybody make it out? You know, is everybody okay? All that stuff, the tiniest things matter when you're going through the most difficult times. That's how you know, I mean I call that humanity," Abbey Troncoso said.
The Troncosos also tell me they are currently hopping from house to house as they try to recoup what was lost in the fire and find a new place to call home.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been set up to help the family get through this tough time.
