CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Southside couple is picking up the pieces after a fire destroyed their townhome Wednesday night.

“I’m just blessed to be here. I lost everything but them. I am just grateful to be alive,” said fire victim Debbra Garcia.

Southside couple loses home in townhome fire, say they’re grateful to be alive

The fire broke out in a townhome on Rodd Field and Premont Drive. According to the Corpus Christi Fire Department, the cause is still under investigation. At least three units were damaged.

“I went to take a shower, came and sat on the sofa. I just saw the two windows light up, bright orange, and all I could feel was the heat,” Garcia said.

The fire left Garcia and her fiancé with very little.

“The clothes I’m wearing is all from different people, but I’m appreciative,” she said.

Walking through what’s left of her soot-filled home, Garcia pointed to personal items she’s trying to save.

“I have my granddaughter’s markers. They looked so weird. I was like, ‘what is that?’ They’re all different colored markers,” she said.

“But I got all of this clothes out of the drawers. They’re just really smoked burned and wet. But I’m going to try to salvage them,” she added.

What once was a warm family space is now covered in rubble and ash.

“This was the place where my grandkids would sleep when they came over,” Garcia said.

Garcia told KRIS 6 News that she and her fiancé had recently canceled their home insurance due to financial struggles.

“He’s had his home for 10 years… and it was paid off. and it’s gone now,” she said.

Now, the couple’s daughter has set up this GoFundMe page to help them rebuild.

“We just want our own home again. It’s hard to live with somebody— I just— want our own place,” Garcia said.

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