Family seeks funds for couple unhoused by Wainiha house fire

Relatives of residents who lost their Wainiha home in a structure fire Tuesday, are turning to GoFundMe for help.

“My son, Jake and his girlfriend Ansley are visiting family in Santa Cruz,” wrote Paulette Mattle Carney on the popular crowd-funding website Tuesday. “A call came in today from their hometown of Wainiha … informing them that their entire home burnt to the ground leaving no possessions to come home to.”

The GoFundMe fundraiser has a goal of $30,000. Damages to the structure and contents are estimated at $160,000.

According to a preliminary report, fire personnel arrived at a one-story residential building shortly before 7:10 a.m. Tuesday and found that the structure was fully engulfed in flames.

There was no one inside the building at the time of the fire. Since the water supply was limited, firefighters had to draw water from a nearby stream and adopt a defensive position to safeguard nearby structures. The firefighters kept shuttling water to put out the fire until it was completely extinguished.

Firefighters cleared the scene at approximately 2:05 p.m. Tuesday.