Residents working to rebuild after fire rips through northeast Fresno home

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fierce flames scorched through a sober living home in Northeast Fresno on Wednesday.

"It was like waking up to hell, it was insane," recalled resident Matthew Kalashian.

Kalashian says he was in a deep sleep when the fire broke out.

"I woke up and there was flames above my head. There was flames five feet away." said Kalashian.

First responders rushed him to the hospital for smoke inhalation and that's when he realized, he almost died.

"It occurred to me once I got to the hospital how close I came," said Kalashian.

Now, the homeowners are still trying to make sense of the sudden loss.

"Its hard, its really hard, we put a lot of time and effort into this house," said Patricia Moreno, who lost her home in the fire.

Patrice Moreno and her partner Daniel Hernandez lost everything.

"It's extremely hard, we don't know what we are going to do, our insurance lapsed in coverage," said homeowner Daniel Hernandez.

You can see the charred tables and burnt kitchen as Moreno still processes the unrecognizable home.

"You see a little damage or something, but I've never seen a total loss like this," said Moreno.

The home isn't the only thing lost in the fire.

"The two dogs are gone," said Kalashian.

Allie and Lola didn't survive the fire. They are still covered in the front yard as they work to figure out who can take them away.

Hernandez says they've helped bring peace to the people he's helped get back on their feet.

"They bring a connection with people, and they calm people down. When they are nervous or when they're sad, they bring their spirits up," said Hernandez.

Kalashian says the puppies and those living there are the reason he's still here today.

"Dan and Patrice have picked me up when I've been in the middle of nowhere with no help in the middle of the night and brought me back here. They've been there for me through everything," said Kalashian.

Since 2014, the home on Mariposa Street and Barstow Avenue has been a place for recovering addicts to come to better transition into society.

"If anybody's ever had a problem with addiction or had a family member with addiction -- they know how important these places are," said Kalashian.

Now they are hoping someone can help them -- they way they've helped hundreds of others.

"If we can't get re-opened -- there's going to be a great loss in the community, there really is," said Moreno.

Last night -- they also slept a tent in their backyard to try and keep people from coming onto the property, but they know they can't do that forever.

A GoFundMe has been created for those affected by the fire. If you'd like to support, click here.

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