(mystatesman.com) \u2013<\/p>\n
Norma Guardado was at work Friday when she heard that the house in Southeast Austin she\u2019d lived in for roughly 15 years was on fire.<\/p>\n
She rushed over to her home in the 4900 block of Savorey Lane and found heavy smoke pouring from the single-story structure. The fire was already under control, but it had completely gutted the property, causing an estimated $150,000 in damage, according to the Austin Fire Department.<\/p>\n
For Guardado and her four grandchildren, ranging from 7 months to 9 years old, it was a tragedy. She and the kids lost most of their possessions and their cat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe realized that the grandmother was raising four grandkids and had pretty much lost everything,\u201d said Isaac Saldivar, one of the firefighters who helped tackle the blaze Friday. \u201cVery little in their house was salvageable. It\u2019s just a very bad situation to be in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saldivar used Facebook to solicit donations for the family, the needs of which included a high chair, a playpen, diapers and clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat started as a small gesture on social media to get some help turned into many, many members of this community wanting to drop stuff off and donate in any way they can,\u201d Saldivar said.<\/p>\n
By Monday afternoon, Saldivar had amassed a heap of provisions for the family, including gift cards, toys and other necessities.<\/p>\n
Guardado arrived at the fire station on Nuckols Crossing Road at 4 p.m. Monday, and when she saw all the donations, she couldn\u2019t hold back her tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people out there who really care,\u201d Guardado said. \u201cI\u2019m very grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
As her grandchildren crawled over a fire engine parked outside of the station, Guardado said she replayed the day of the fire, trying to remember anything she\u2019d done that might have sparked the blaze, but she couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Fire Department said the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.<\/p>\n
Guardado spent the weekend out of town with her sister but now plans to move into another place in South Austin for the time being.<\/p>\n
Saldivar said the mound of supplies she saw Monday was only a fraction of what the family would receive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have many, many other people who have contacted me that are waiting to also come donate (more) clothing, books, food, toiletries and even furniture, which is awesome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As a firefighter, Saldivar sees many families in similar situations. Some have just been severely injured in crashes; others, like Guardado and her grandchildren, lose their homes. He said there are many times where he can\u2019t help everyone the way he\u2019d like to, but in this case, something as simple as a post to Facebook, which took him all of 10 seconds, gave him the chance to make a difference.<\/p>\n