Family of 7 lost everything in electrical house fire on Memorial Day

MERCED, Calif. (FOX26) — A family of seven including five small children said they lost “everything” in an electrical house fire on Memorial Day.

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Christopher Gutierrez said his Fiancé Alexis Bustamante was out on Monday picking up one of their kids while Gutierrez was at home washing a new play set he had just bought his kids in their front yard.

He said around 3:30 p.m. he noticed smoke coming from underneath his front door.

In a video captured on their Ring Camera, you can see Gutierrez scream to his children to get away from the house and run to his neighbors.

We were both breaking down just watching our whole house get demolished and the firefighters going at it spraying the whole house just watching everything that we built together just go away," said Gutierrez.

He said within three minutes the house went up into flames burning everything they owned inside.

"Five bedrooms with five beds, five TVs, we have two living rooms, a kitchen, 3 bathrooms. Everything is a complete loss," said Bustamante. "so it's 7 of us in one hotel right now."

Bustamante said she and one of their children came back home to firefighters drowning their house in water. She said firefighters told them a faulty electrical plug sparked the fire catching a phone charger on fire.

The family said in the past year they have complained a few times to their landlord about electrical problems.

"Little things like the sockets wouldn't turn on, sparks from the fan but honestly we didn't think it was going to turn into something like this," said Bustamante.

This situation is leaving her kids full of questions, like: where will they live now?

And a lesson that a home isn't defined by just a building.

"I just don't want our kids to feel like they don't have a home," said Bustamante. "Because no one should feel like that."

The family said it has not heard from its landlord about its living situation but is hoping he will help the family get back on their feet.

FOX26 reached out to the landlord late Tuesday and has not heard back.

So far the family has received some help from the red cross and some children's outfits from their family and friends.

If you would like to donate to the Gutierrez and Bustamante family, click HERE.