JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A devastating fire tore through a townhouse complex in Arlington early Tuesday morning, displacing more than a dozen residents. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue said 13 adults and one child are now receiving assistance from the Red Cross.
Among them—Vivianna Pedroza, her husband George Castro, and their young daughter, who narrowly escaped when flames ripped through five connected townhomes just after 5:30 a.m.
Pedroza said it was a loud noise that jolted her awake, but it was her husband’s quick thinking that saved their lives.
“If he didn’t get us out of the house…it ignited in seconds,” she recalled, sharing cellphone video of the fire moments after they escaped.
George acted fast, rushing to grab their daughter from another room and bring her to safety.
“When he got out of the room, he was met with a bunch of smoke,” Pedroza said. “The first thing he did was grab our daughter, who was sleeping alone and brought her to our room.”
He tried to go downstairs to retrieve some belongings, but Vivianna stopped him.
“I told him, ‘No, we can’t—we need to get out,’” she said. “Within seconds, I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t breathe.”
George suffered burns to his ears and a cut on his foot while escaping, but says the pain is nothing compared to the loss of their home. Still, he remains hopeful.
“Material things can be lost in a moment,” he said. “We almost lost our lives pursuing a dream we might not have been able to enjoy. I’m coming from a place of hurt, but I’m also very thankful.”
Vivianna credits God and George’s bravery for giving them a second chance.
“If I didn’t wake up when I did…if God didn’t wake me up and he didn’t have the bravery to think about his family, we wouldn’t be here,” Pedroza said.
Despite the devastation, the family said they plan to rebuild their lives in Jacksonville, where they hoped to create a better future.
Click here to donate to the family’s GoFundMe.
