Couple loses everything in Skylark Mobile Home Park fire
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Bethany Weiss and Joseph Schoenberger said they were taking a nap Thursday afternoon when they awoke suddenly to the sound of explosions.
They looked outside and see flames everywhere in their neighborhood.
“Lost, sad, devastated,” said Schoenberger.
In an interview with KRDO NewsChannel 13 Monday, the couple explained those are the words that come to mind when recalling everything they lost to the fire.
They only had time to grab shoes and their beloved cat, narrowly escaping before their home and everything in it was engulfed in flames.
“We worked very hard to get where we were," Weiss said. "And in the blink of an eye, it was all gone.”
Weiss said she and Schoenberger were not even alerted by any officials or home property personnel when the fire first started in the Skylark Mobile Home Park that is directly adjacent to what used to be their home, the Falcon Mobile Home Park.
“Nobody had tried to warn us. I mean, if they had, maybe we could have grabbed a few more things instead of losing absolutely everything we have," Weiss said. "But if he had not woken up we would have died, absolutely.”
Their home was one of four in the Falcon Mobile Home Park affected by the fire that investigators later revealed to be “accidental” in nature. One person did die in the fire.
But even though the couple still have their lives, picking up the pieces from this tragedy hasn’t been an easy process.
“It was not even until the next day that we found out what avenues to explore,” Schoenberger explained.
The couple said they received some help from the American Red Cross, receiving just enough money to stay in a hotel for a couple nights. But now, they aren't sure what to do with funds running out, and everything they used to have, a complete loss.
“Everything we had was left behind because all we were worried about was ourselves and our cat," Weiss said. "We didn’t grab our wallets or any of the money we had stored.”
The couple established a GoFundMe that can be found by clicking here. They tell KRDO that they plan to use the money that people donate to help start over and begin to rebuild their lives.
