‘It fills that vacuum’: Cambria resident overwhelmed by response after losing home to fire
He's living temporarily with friend
Schuster's tidy Lodge Hill home is a mere couple of blocks away from the burned-out shell of the cabin on
The yellow fire-scene tape surrounding the cabin probably is the first clue that something is awry.
The tape draws the eye past the moss-feathery oak tree branches that shield from sight much of the set-back home. But then there's the blackened structure, the blown-out windows and that heart-breaking, gut-clenching smell of a structure fire, all made more graphic and tragic-looking by recent days of rain.
The smell is the stench of fire residue, burned wood, metal and other elements, yes, but also of Tower's lost treasures, hopes and dreams, of the radio dj's vast collection of music CDs and vinyls he used on the air, of his beloved guitar, his collection of select rocks and minerals, his plans for the future.
The 71-year-old retiree says he's dazed and overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of how much there is to do now, and how little he has to do it with. The computer is gone, and so is the list of passwords he needs to reestablish his email and other services.
"I don't know what I need yet," Tower said. "I'm just coming out of the fog now."
Awakened by 'thick smoke'
He was awakened just after midnight to the blaring beeps of a smoke alarm and a room filled with "thick smoke coming from the bathroom. It was heavy, yellow with a strong acrid smell."
He grabbed his portable house phone, ran outside and "like a madman" and grabbed a hose to run water on the back of the house while he called 911. Then he tripped over a rock and fell, hitting his head on another rock.
A medic at the scene said later that Tower had a slight concussion. The golf-ball-sized knot on his forehead has shrunken now.
The fire was out by
Hollingsworth and others returned at daylight and spent several hours investigating. As of late Tuesday, he was still listing the cause as "undetermined" and the case as "still under investigation."
The house is a total loss.
'This community really shines'
Tower's also overcome by the generosity of friends and strangers. They've stocked him up well with clothes and shoes. "I've got more shoes now than I've ever had before in my life," Tower said wryly.
Friend
As of Friday morning, the GoFundMe page showed more than
The
All of it helps when you have so little left. He didn't have renters' insurance.
"I didn't even know what a
But the donations are "going to give me a little bit more wiggle room to get back on my feet. This community really shines. I'm so impressed with the response."
For instance, he stopped at Central Coast Music in
"All this has opened my eyes to all the good in people," Tower said emotionally. "It fills that vacuum, that place in your heart and fulfills you as a human being."
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