SAN ANTONIO — A growing family is forced to start over after a large apartment fire on the northeast side. Investigators believe a BBQ grill sparked the fire that quickly spread to Sophia and Phillip Pacheco’s apartment next door.
The Pacheco’s lost all their belongings just one month before the birth of their first child.
“We are having our first child in August, it’s a baby boy,” said Sophia. “We are naming him Ezekiel. We have been married for three years now and have been planning this for a long time. We were really excited to bring him home.”
Sophia says she picked Phillip up from work Tuesday night. They were nearly home when they noticed a pillar of smoke.
“We were not allowed back on our street because there’s firemen, there’s policemen blocking it off,” said Sophia. “We see smoke coming from our building.”
“We have a church friend that lives in the building across from us,” added Phillip. “So, he called and said, ‘Hey where are y’all at? Is Sophia in the building?’ I said, ‘No, we are down the street.’ That’s when he let us know our whole building was on fire.”
Part of the Acadia on the Lake building is now condemned. Sophia says their sentimental losses hurt the most, including photo albums and a hand-knitted blanket for Ezekiel.
“It was like a shell shock,” said Sophia. “One minute, we are fine. The next minute, all of our stuff is gone. Baby items, personal items, family heirlooms, our wedding rings. I had to start wearing the rubber one because of the pregnancy, but our wedding rings are gone.”
So, they are starting over on their nursery list.
“We thought we were really prepared, we thought we were ready,” Sophia said.
In the midst of sorrow, the Pacheco’s are still counting their blessings.
“It’s been really bittersweet because of the situation,” said Sophia. “I mean, it’s sentimental in a new way to see people coming forward, even people we haven’t spoken to in years.”
“We do have that strong support system, especially with our immediate family,” Phillip agreed. “We want to say, ‘Thank you’ to everyone for coming together.”
Phillip says faith is their foundation for rebuilding.
“There’s a scripture in the bible that says what the enemy meant for evil; God turns it for good,” he said. “So, we understand that everything that is taken is always restored.”
Loved ones set up a GoFundMe page to help the Pacheco’s get back on their feet. To donate, click HERE.