Willow Glen Resident

News

Willow Glen family says community support was overwhelming after fire

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

A holiday fire damaged half the Valine-Liotta family home in Willow Glen, but neighbors and friends were determined not to let the incident devastate the family.

"We were overwhelmed by the response we had," says homeowner Lisa Liotta.

The three-alarm fire ravaged the family's Richland Avenue on Dec. 5, causing nearly $500,000 in damage and sending Liotta and her husband, Terry Valine, to the hospital with smoke inhalation. Their 4-year-old son and Liotta's mother were not hurt.

While the couple was still in the hospital and their home's embers still warm, the neighborhood and community rallied and collected clothing, food and gift cards. Some families also offered their homes as a refuge while the family sorted things out. The family received thousands in donations, says Liotta.

"Some of the people we had only met for five minutes before the fire," Liotta says. "We're just really thankful to the Willow Glen community."

Along with the donations, a slew of cards, letters and notes were left for the family.

There are two in particular that struck a chord.

One was from a young neighborhood girl, who included a donation of her allowance. The other was from a neighborhood woman who wrote she didn't know the family's name and had lost the pamphlet that specified which items to donate. She enclosed a small monetary donation.

"I would just cry while I opened the cards," Liotta says. "Everyone was so kind and wanted to help."

The neighbors' kind words and gifts gave Liotta hope when she needed it most.

Valine was in the hospital for two weeks for smoke inhalation; for nine of those days he was in an induced coma.

"I was home alone all night while Terry was in the hospital," Liotta says.

When Valine woke up, Liotta brought the cards, notes and letters to the hospital and read them to him.

Valine has made a full recovery, and with the fire behind them, the family has begun the rebuilding process.

"We've made so many new friends since this happened," Liotta says. "We feel super-connected to the community."

Since the family began putting the pieces together, Liotta has sent out dozens of thank-you cards and plans to continue sending them.

"It's important to us to let everyone know that everything they did for us matters," Liotta says. "Everything they have done has helped."