FALLS COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — "I lost everything — the only thing I had was the clothes on my back," said Golinda resident, Michael Rodriguez.
Nearly nothing was left behind for Rodriguez after a fire torched more than five acres of land Saturday afternoon.
"It was a crazy day that day — I woke up to a house, and an hour later, I'm homeless, with no clothes, and having to start all over," Rodriguez said.
25 News reached out to Golinda's fire chief, who syas four structures were damaged during the fire, which took more than five hours to put out.
"My first impression of everything was, 'What the heck is going on?'," Rodriguez said.
The city received assistance from outside fire departments, including Lorena, Robinson, Waco, Chilton, Marlin, and others.
"Once it got into the field, grass fire just took off and ran pretty quick," said Golinda Fire Chief Brian Lamb.
Rodriguez told 25 News stories about his son being in the home at the time of the fire.
"I was screaming at the top of my lungs. Finally, he woke up and could walk out," Rodriguez said.
Although no one was seriously injured, neighbors say the process of starting over is the most important.
"Everything I owned, I worked hard for the last few years — just to see it go up in smoke in minutes, is unreal," Rodriguez said.
It's an image that they'll never forget.
"Almost losing my son was the scariest moment of my life, but he's here, and we're just going to have to start from scratch," Rodriguez said.
Officials tell 25 News the cause of the fire is unknown.
Families affected by the fire are accepting donations of food, clothes, and shoes at Golinda City Hall, located at 7039 Golinda Drive.
The Rodriguez family is also accepting donations at local Wing Stops, including those off 111 South New Rd in Waco and 1201 Hewitt Drive.
A GoFundMe has also been set up for Mr. Rodriguez, click here to donate.
