Benny Yanez looks over the site were his home burned down, Frida in Donna. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
The city of Donna and its residents are rallying to the aid of a police officer and his young family after they lost their home to a house fire Wednesday.
“He lost everything,” Donna Police Chief Gilbert Guerrero said Thursday.
“The only thing he had was the clothes he was wearing, which was his uniform, and his kids’ clothes,” the chief said of Officer Benny Yanez.
Yanez, 26, was on duty Wednesday when he responded to the call of a fire at his own address in south Donna.
His wife had called him in a panic just moments earlier to say smoke was pouring from the roof before she hung up to dial 9-1-1.
“By the time I got there, half of the house was already in flames,” Yanez said.
“The first thing that I saw was my wife crying, just crying. She didn’t know what to do. She was just in shock,” he said a moment later.
No one was injured in the blaze. Yanez’s wife was the only one home at the time the fire broke out. Their four children — all 5 years old or younger — were visiting their grandmother.
Preliminary reports indicate the fire was sparked in the laundry room before igniting the home’s electrical box.
Almost immediately after news of the fire began to spread, the community began to respond with offers of help, the chief said.
Chiefs at other police departments, including Edinburg and McAllen, reached out to see what they could do.
Local residents, too, began dropping off supplies at Donna City Hall.
“Oh man! It feels real good,” Guerrero said of the community’s generosity. “It means that they really care about our police officers, our public servants.”
Donna Mayor Rick Morales was also moved by the tragedy. He personally donated $3,000 to Yanez and his family, helping them purchase much needed clothing and other supplies at the local Walmart.
“I’ve been blessed more than I deserve,” Morales said. “If I can help — especially one of my officers, one of my citizens here in Donna, I’ll do it.”
The mayor has also helped pay for temporary housing for the Yanez family as they recover from the loss of what had been their first home.
The mayor is hoping the community can help even further as the family looks to get back on its feet.
“This was our first home, we put a lot of time and a lot of money into it,” Yanez said.
Chief Guerrero described how Yanez, who had worked his way up through the city over the last several years, had steadfastly been making improvements to the home himself.
“He bought a house … and slowly, he was buying material. Every time he got a paycheck, he would build a wall, he would buy a light fixture,” Guerrero said.
The chief added that Yanez displayed that same drive and determination in his journey toward becoming a police officer through one of the chief’s initiatives.
Initially, Yanez worked for the city’s public works department.
“He was a laborer. And from there, I picked him up as a jailer. And from there, I sent him to the academy and he became a police officer,” Guerrero explained.
“I asked Chief Guerrero for an opportunity to move up into the jail division. After that, he had told me that whenever there’s a spot … he’s gonna give me a chance to get sponsored for the policy academy,” Yanez said.
When that opportunity finally arose, he jumped at the chance.
“I put my part and everything — mainly for my family to grow together. They gave me the opportunity and, pos, I took it and it’s been helping out a lot,” Yanez said.
Yanez was thankful to the city then for the employment opportunities, and is thankful now to Donna residents for their outpouring of support for his family.
“We’ve just seen everyone helping us out and it’s just such a blessing,” Yanez said.
Residents wishing to help may drop off donations at Donna City Hall or by contributing to the family’s GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/donna-pd-officer-family-lose-home-to-fire.
