Fire Destroys House of Dakota Ridge Senior An upper level closet charred by fire. - Jessica Eskew Advertising Sunday, January 08, 2012 By Jake Smerker It was a simple mistake that forced a Dakota Ridge family into chaos. An overturned candle set the upper floor of the Valenzuela’s household ablaze last December. The fire started on the floor, where it traveled to a nearby bed. After a fire extinguisher failed to put out the flames, the family evacuated and called the fire department. Though no one was hurt in this accident, the ordeal stole quite a few of the family’s belongings, and left their home uninhabitable. Dakota Ridge senior, Monique Valenzuela, simply put, “Everything of my grandma’s is gone, and it sucks a lot.” The damage done by the fire was focused on the upstairs, meaning the entire upper level of the house will need to be redone, the downstairs living room was left flooded after the work of the fire hoses - the floors and paint of the house will likely need to be redone as well. But Monique’s family was not left alone throughout all this. A great majority of repairs being made to the house have been covered by the family’s insurance provider. In addition to financial coverage, several other causes have helped out in lending a hand towards the Valenzuelas. Several fundraisers held through the school helped the family to recover some of the lost belongings ruined by the fire. Monique was certainly grateful of all that the community has done to help out, and noted how thankful she was for the enormous amount of donations containing money and things like clothing that her family has received from those around them. But Monique’s main source of support seems to have come from her best friend, Dakota Ridge senior, Ali Horan. After verification of losing precious belongings of a passed away loved one, Monique was distraught and at the point where only the love of a genuine friend could help to possibly ease the pain. “I was the first person outside of the fire department she called,” Ali said, “her family is my family, so of course I’ve been there for them. She’s my best friend – I'll stand by her through anything." Ali and Monique have held a sister-like relationship for years, and having her around meant the world to Monique and her family in whole. Though the family has been significantly set back by this hardship, it is their love for one another and the compassion and love granted from their community that has helped them to progress this far in recovering.

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