Help the Rogers rebuild after the Highland Fire

Help the Rogers family rebuild their life after the Highland Fire

Our family has been devastated by the Highland Fire. I would like to share a bit of our family history with you and hope that if you are able, you will find it in your hearts to help a family who has suffered a tragedy this week. We know that times are tough for everyone, and we hope you will only donate what you are comfortably able to spare. If you cannot donate, please share.

The short of it:

I am working to help raise funds for my family to be able to rebuild after our land and belongings were destroyed by the Highland fire. The initial task of cleaning up and restoring power is where we will begin. What would appear to an onlooker as piles of junk, is actually the remains of outbuildings, office space, toolsheds, and living space. Removal of all of this is proving to be very costly and a bigger job than one might suspect. Due to illness and several surgeries, my family’s business has been closed for several weeks, and this has drained our savings. There is no good time for a fire, but this was exceptionally bad timing.

(Photos of the power pole and the water well that need to be replaced)

The longer story

If you would like to know more about our family, I’ve written a little bit about us.

You may know the Rogers family! If you have lived in the North County area, or even in the Riverside County area, there is a good chance you’ve run into them at some point. Before my dad passed away, we would run into people he knew everywhere we went, and this still happens when my mom and sister are out (just watch them try to walk down one strip of “Cruisin’ Grand. So many people happily greet them!)

Over three decades ago my parents opened a small business in Escondido, “All Makes Smog ‘n’ Tune Center” (which is now “All Makes Smog Center”). My parents worked hard to build a business they could be proud of. After my dad passed away my mom, brother, and sister continued to run this small business. As with many businesses, theirs has suffered greatly over the past few years. They have managed to keep going, but barely. During this 30 plus years of serving our community, we have made many amazing friends along the way. Individuals who began as customers have become like family to us and we greatly appreciate this community we have, as well as their continued support.

How we began in Aguanga

In the year 2000, my parents purchased a property in Aguanga (a small town outside of Temecula). We have created many memories with the four generations of family that have lived there. Our children have attended school there, one going from preschool through to high school, and now another generation just beginning school. We have made many friends here who we love dearly and are so grateful to have. We began this dream of multi-generational living because we believe that it takes a village to raise a family. We wanted grandparents close to grandchildren, and now there are great-grandchildren! As for this small town of Aguanga, we were happy to find a much larger village than just ourselves. I have personally met some of the best people I have ever known.

So what happened?

In the 23 years we have lived here we have seen many fires come and go. We have evacuated several times, taking many of our belongings with us. On October 30th, 2023, when the Highland fire tore through our small town, they had no time to pack. By the time they realized there was a fire, it was time to run. As my family retreated to Temecula, we hoped it would pass and take no homes with it. We sat frozen, knowing that this time, more than any of the others, it was headed right for our home, and unfortunately, it did just that. While we are extremely grateful that our family made it out safely, and to the brave firefighters who ran into the flames as my family, and many others ran out, we are now left with the devastation of Mother Nature’s fury.

Here is a link to the story in the LA TIMES

When they interviewed my mom, we still had no idea how much destruction there was. As you will read, there was no time to be evacuated. She walked outside and knew they had to go.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-10-31/highland-fire-doubles-in-size-in-riverside-county-burning-structures

(These were at one time homes. All of this and much more, needs to be removed.)

What will this cost?

We have not yet been able to ascertain the full amount of loss, we do know that the majority of our things lie in piles of rubble. The clean-up cost alone is more than we can begin to cover. As it stands, we cannot even have power restored to the property (which also means no water), and so my family is left homeless. My mother just underwent serious surgery involving her lungs, and cannot even be on the property because she cannot breathe with the amount of charred rubble. My sister who has probably smogged your car at some point, (if you live in Escondido), is still recovering from neck surgery.

We lost cars and trucks, power tools (everything we will need to restore and build back), the outbuildings, and more than I can list. We, as a family, are choosing to set aside the feelings of loss, and focus on feelings of hope and figuring out what to do to make the property livable.

What will we do with donations?

We were informed yesterday by the power company that they will not restore power until we have a new permitted and certified pole installed – the cost is unknown at this time and time is of the essence. Once we have power, we hope to have water – so long as that is not damaged as well. We also need to purchase new tools and arrange to have the remains of our 23 years here hauled off to be forgotten. We have never dealt with destruction like this, so we are taking it one thing at a time and learning as we go.

How can you help?

We are asking for help from our community, our family and friends. It is not easy for us to ask for this, but after the past few years of hardship, we have no choice. Any little bit helps, and we will be forever grateful. This has all been so heartbreaking for us and it has left us a bit frozen, wondering what to do and how to move forward.

Current plan of action:

We will begin the process of cleaning up and restoring power. Once this is done we will begin the work of rebuilding. To clean up we will need to rent some heavy equipment and truck/trailer to haul it off. We’re not strangers to hard work and will do what we can ourselves. But even with our labor, it is going to be expensive.

We all appreciate you taking the time to read our story. If you can’t donate, please share.

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