Cambria resident burned in house fire recovers as rebuilding process begins
A nurse said Tuesday that "she's doing better, resting, taking one day at a time." The nurse didn't know if more surgery would be needed, and if so, when it might be done.
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Meanwhile, a hospital social worker is trying to locate and contact any family members, close friends and colleagues of the woman who is fiercely protective of her privacy.
Hilber is the founder of Rx Laughter, a nonprofit that conducts research and educates on the therapeutic value of comedy care, especially for children and those struggling with serious emotional and physical challenges. She was a veteran prime-time programming executive for the
The fire
The cause of the intense blaze that shocked the neighborhood and beyond is still under investigation as of Monday, according to
Officials had been unable to interview Hilber to learn what she remembers of the blaze that essentially destroyed the two-bedroom home, which is owned by David and
Some neighbors who rallied during the fire to help Hilber -- whom none of them knew well enough to even know her name -- said she was ambulatory but in shock and understandably confused when they responded to the repeated screams for help from the badly burned woman who was by then outside of her home.
Night owl
"As soon as I walked into my kitchen, I could see the fire," Humphreys said. "The flames were huge, up into the sky."
Fearing the fire might be at the home of her friends, Tom and
It was the house next door.
Humphreys parked, "laid on the horn" to alert her friends and saw "a woman standing between the two houses, yelling for help," she said.
Meanwhile, according to
They rushed out and found Humphreys -- a retired emergency-room nurse with experience in a burn unit -- assisting the injured woman, which she did until the ambulance arrived. The Weavers brought Hilber a robe, which Humphreys wrapped carefully around her to protect her injured body.
"I was so impressed about what a wonderful job she did of saving herself," Humphreys said of Hilber. "She yelled so loudly, so constantly" until help arrived.
"The blinds were always closed," and some other windows were blocked off with a black barrier, he added.
Rebuilding
Since then, the Hills have been dealing with the loss of the home they'd planned to retire to in March. Their
They had dreams attached to the home, but no real memories of it yet. However, it was
When the couple decided to retire in
"It was a beautiful home," he added, "and it will be again."
He's managing the project to salvage anything belonging to Hilber that can be saved, then demolish and rebuild the house. He's searched for but hasn't found the cell phone Hilber desperately wants. He's also combed the wreckage looking for her car keys -- the
Damage to the home's interior is extensive, O'Sullivan said.
"The roof structure is gone," and the middle, living-area and kitchen sections of the home were essentially incinerated, he said.
Hollingsworth has reiterated his original estimate that the roaring blaze destroyed 65 percent of the structure itself.
Firefighters found and saved a singed photo album, the contractor said.
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