BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A fire in east Bakersfield destroyed two mobile homes and left a pair of sisters homeless.
Keyonna Walston is one of the pair of sisters who owned two mobile homes destroyed in the fire and shares everything they had was destroyed.
“We just kind of like rushed home, and they already had the roads blocked off, and we seen all the smoke and stuff, and I was just hoping it wasn’t my trailer it was my sisters, but it was my trailer, it was mine,” said Walston.
Walston said she had her trailer for two months and was shocked seeing the damage. The cause of the fire is unknown, but she is heartbroken knowing some of her most precious items are gone.
“I started crying because I lost everything I had, my kid’s pictures, I had this album I put together of all my kid’s pictures when they were growing up and it’s all gone,” said Walston.
Walston’s sister Reanna King was there when the fire broke out and shares that she can live without the items because everyone is safe.
“It went to hers, then it went to mine, and my mom and grandma they’re in walkers so I was a little worried just for them […] I know that they jump, fires can jump, so I was making sure them, and the dogs were out of the house that’s it,” said King.
Walston said she and her sister are in desperate need of clothes, food, and more and reached out to the Red Cross but claims they were turned away.
However, Taylor Poisall of the Red Cross disagrees and shares that the sisters could not prove residence not meeting the organization’s financial assistance qualifications.
“I wouldn’t say we turned away this family because there are two pieces of all of our responses. The financial assistance, and informational resources, and we did provide those resources, without the incident meeting the financial assistance rules,” said Poisall.
Walston says that has made it even harder to move forward.
“It’s hard, it’s hard it hurts, but I just have to start over I guess,” said Walston.
The sisters have started a GoFundMe, and you can find that here.
