Sunday, September 03, 2006

Dreams go up in smoke


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise
Victoria Vela's toy room remains destroyed after the family's home burned in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006. The 3-year-old kept everything from her toys to her clothes in the room.


Homeowner Hector Vela leads helpers through the charred remains of the family's kitchen after a house fire in Orange. His wife, Maria Vela, had prepared a cake for a baby shower in the kitchen on Friday night before the early-morning fire took everything on Saturday. All the gifts for the baby shower were stored in the toy room.


Salvaged photographs dry on the fence outside the Vela family's home after the house burned in Orange. Hector Vela purchased the home three years ago after living in a much smaller home next door for six years.


Hector Vela exits his burned home after a fire gutted the residence. He said the welcome sign over the doorway was painted by the previous owner.

Donations can be mailed to:
Hector Vela
1111 Main Ave.
Orange TX 77630



Please read "Dream goes up in smoke for Orange family" by Dee Dixon.
 

1 comment:

Michael said...

The photo of the child's toy room is so strong. It really shows the damage and devastation, yet at the same time has a sort of macabre beauty.