BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — Joyce Krull was left displaced after a fire at a neighbor's home spread to her house this past January. Her landlords helped her relocate to another one of their properties, but she didn't have any of her belongings.
“Without them, it would have been really hard, because any other landlords would have said, 'Well, you're on your own.' But no, not these blessed people,” Krull said.
The house suffered severe smoke damage, limiting what Krull has been able to take with her. On Tuesday, a construction crew started the clean-up process, so they can demolish most of the home and rebuild the inside.
Carrie Vasquez, one of Krull's landlords, says they've spent the last few months trying to find contractors and working with her insurance to see what could be done.
“We've got some work ahead of us,” Vasquez said.
Krull says she left the house with the clothes on her back and a few jackets. Now with the renovations starting, she's had to go through the house and see what's salvageable.
“This is the day that they're taking my stuff out of the house and throwing it away, but I'm here to say goodbye to it,” she said.
Krull says the last few months have been "rough" because she's had to start over and was struggling mentally with going through a traumatic event.
“I was smelling smoke (when there wasn't any and) I couldn't go to sleep because I was scared that a fire would start,” she said.
The kitchen and laundry room are the only two rooms that are salvageable. Vasquez says they have to replace the HVAC system and all of the floors, walls, and ceilings in the house.
"After the demolition, we can start rebuilding from the ground up,” Vasquez said.
Before the clean-up crews started on Tuesday, Krull and Vasquez went through the house to see what could be saved.
"I lost a lot of things, but I'm glad the fire left (the outside) alone," Krull said. "The insides can be replaced.”
Vasquez says it’ll take at least six months for all the repairs to be done.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
