Local man loses home to fire

HARLINGEN — Pablo Rodriguez Gomez sat at a picnic table at the end of his driveway.

He was in shock.

Everything he owned had been destroyed in a matter of hours yesterday.

A blaze had left his home in shambles.

“All the rooms are ruined and everything is burned,” Gomez, 85, said about his home.

But things could have been much worse.

Just as he had for more than 60 years, he had just brewed his coffee to enjoy while reading the newspaper on the porch.

But what he didn’t know was his home was on fire.

Gomez’s neighbors noticed the blaze and ran from across the street to move him out of harm’s way.

Moments after Gomez fled his home, the windows shattered from the heat of the fire.

Harlingen firefighters arrived at the home located on North A Street to contain the fire before it spread to any of the neighboring homes.

Authorities said the home was severely damaged, but no one was injured.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Gomez will be living with his daughter until he can get back on his feet.

“It’s going to take time for him to realize he is homeless and he has nothing,” said Toni Garcia, Gomez’s daughter.

A Go Fund Me account has be established for Gomez.

The account had received $200 since it was set up by his daughter yesterday.

Gomez had to be stopped from attempting to go into his house while it was on fire to try to save his things.

He said he had so many hats, boots and clothes he wanted to save.

Local health care provider Vicki Roy was walking the streets with her associates handing out Christmas gifts hours after the blaze had been contained.

As they passed Gomez’s home Roy said a prayer for him and slipped some money into his shirt pocket.

“I gave him some money,” Roy said. “But he’s going to need a lot more.”