Elderly Couple Living in Smoke-Damaged Home

Sylvia McCleery was in a peaceful slumber during the early morning hours of March 1, when the commotion outside awakened her.  Outside, she saw her neighbor’s house at 406 E. 23rd on fire.

 “My husband has a police scanner. He heard the call to dispatch for the fire,” McCleery said. “I couldn’t believe it was happening. The fire department really got here fast though, it could have been much worse.”

Sylvia’s neighbors, Sam Sambrano and girlfriend Maria Ibarra, were at home when the fire broke out.

“Our little dog was inside because it was so cold outside that night,” said Ibarra.  “She must have pushed the heater against the back of the couch in the living room. I opened the bedroom door and the smoke was so thick I couldn’t see. We went out the bedroom window.”

Because the San Angelo Fire Department responded so quickly, their home was not a complete loss. Although the outside of the house looks as if a fire never never touched it, walking inside is a completely different story.

Heavy smoke charred the interior walls throughout the entire house, making them resemble the bottom of a barbeque pit. The stove, washing machine, dryer and fridgerator are all caked with heavy soot. The laminate wood flooring in the living room has been transformed into a black slate, and sun shines through holes in the ceiling.

Sylvia McCleery says that Sam is the one in the neighborhood that takes care of everyone. 

“Everyone knows you can count on Sam for anything,” she said. “He’s always the one doing the helping; this time he is the one that needs help. They have been staying in that house since the fire, breathing in all of the soot with no electricity. It breaks my heart.”

“We can’t afford an electrician right now," Ibarra added. "We have just been roughing it out since then. We got the bedroom walls cleaned and painted, so we can at least sleep." Ibarra is a home healthcare worker for Girling Home Health in San Angelo.

Sam, 65, is a retired sheep shearer who moved to San Angelo about six years ago. He lives off of social security and carried no homeowner's insurance. Retirement for a sheep shearer is relatively nonexistent. With no savings and a very limited amount of funds between the two of them, repairing the house seems to be an unattainable pursuit.

Earlier on this week, McCleery made a posting to Facebook that explained the couple’s circumstance and asked the public for help with food, clothing and furniture. Some locals have responded to her request, dropping by those items, for which the couple is very grateful. But those items are sitting on the lawn for now until repairs can be made.

McCleery says that what the couple really needs help with now is repairing the inside of the house. Sam developed bronchitis from smoke inhalation; "toughing out" the cold in the bedroom has not helped. The bedroom walls were cleaned by hand and coated with a thin layer of paint, the black stains peeking through in patchy patterns.

“They are basically in there cold and breathing whatever soot is in the air from the fire,” she said.

 In the spirit of community, and with a pay it forward attitude, Sylvia McCleery is asking for the public’s help.

“The whole entire house needs repair and to be cleaned up. We need people with trailers or pick-ups who can haul trash away. People that want to put up sheetrock and paint walls. Anyone that wants to come out and volunteer their time is welcome. Help me, help my neighbor,” she said.

On Monday, March 9, at 4:00 p.m. at Sam’s house, 406 E. 23rd St., Sylvia will be serving refreshments, and work will continue as long as manpower exists.

UPDATE

Jesse Lozano from Lozano's Building and Remodeling took time out of his day to recruit help with building materials. Ron Terrell of Mc Coy's Building Supply has agreed to donate building materials. Jackson Duncan and Cooper Hogg of City Lumber are donating sheetrock and will continue to donate material on an as-needed basis. With the donations made by these businesses, and volunteers from the community, Sam and Maria have a good chance of a totally repaired house by this time next week.