A father and daughter duo’s generous donation helped an Eaton Fire survivor kick off the holidays with a new home.
Brandon Castro, an Altadena resident who lost his home to the January brush fire, received a life-changing surprise on Thursday. Thanks to Woody and Luna Faircloth, founders of Emergency RV, Castro now has a home of his own again.
An emotional Castro burst into thankful tears when the father and daughter presented to him his own RV.
“Oh my God, it’s amazing,” Castro said when the surprise was unveiled.
As flames scorched through Altadena and high winds whipped the region, helping the fire spread back in January, Castro had just moments to flee from the home he grew up in. While trying to get to safety, Castro was forced to run out barefoot with flames and hazards on either side of him. Ultimately, he was able to escape but suffered a severe burn to his foot.
Now, an empty lot is all that was left of the home that was in Castro’s family for four generations.
“There was a pole right here and when it fell, a bunch of wires just slammed through my legs,” he recalled. “I’m like, ‘Oh, every step, you’re going to have to fight for your life.’”
Following the fire, Castro hopped around student housing, friends’ homes and short-term rentals for shelter.
The Faircloths said they got the idea to donate RVs to people affected by natural disasters while watching a news report featuring a Camp Fire survivor.
“He made a comment to the reporter about how grateful he was to have a place to go home for Thanksgiving and he pointed to his RV,” Woody said. “And I said, ‘Luna, why don’t we get one of those and we’ll drive it to California give it to a family so they have a place to call home for Thanksgiving?’ And she got the biggest smile and she had no front teeth and she said, ‘Dad, God and Santa Claus are going to be so proud of us.”
Although the family’s organization primarily prioritizes veterans and vulnerable families, Woody said something about Brandon spoke to him.
“Family’s really important to him; It’s important to us, too,” Woody said, emotionally.
Source: NBC Los Angeles