Ray Ward was celebrating his 72nd birthday Saturday when flames ripped through his Visalia home.
"It started in the garage, the rv garage. When the RV caught on fire, it just, I didn't know they burnt that fast." Several people were inside at the time, including Ward's wife and grandchildren.
They say the fire was likely caused by a battery charger that was being used for one of their remote control cars.
"The fire was like getting so big in the corner and then that's when neighbors came to get everybody out of the house. It was just running around like crazy."
"Because of the heat, and the size of the structure, we immediately called an additional 4 engines." 50 firefighters from 7 different agencies helped put out the flames.
Meanwhile, they managed to save some personal items, including this picture of the homeowner's son, Tim Ward. Tim was killed on 9/11.
He was on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center.
"It means a lot to us. That was right in our bedroom. It was a memory. And we have a fountain with his picture and that's all saved."
Ward says he and his family used settlement money from 9/11 to purchase the home in memory of Tim.
And despite another heartbreaking loss, they plan on rebuilding in the exact same spot.
"Everybody's safe. That's why you got insurance. Nobody was hurt. Dogs, everybody got out safely. Things can be replaced."
