House fire forces Northern California family to find new shelter for more than a dozen cows
GARDEN VALLEY — A Northern California family is now looking for long-term housing for more than a dozen cows after losing their house and belongings in a fire.
When Kassandra Dickerson lost her home in the fire, she also lost a part of her livelihood.
"It was scary. I mean, like I said, 11 minutes and it was completely gone," Dickerson said.
She owns Mountain Lake Cattle Company and has lived in Garden Valley for about six years.
"Me and my Fiance were home and we heard kind of a loud pop noise and by that time, our laundry room was already fully engulfed," Dickerson said.
Her house completely burned down on September 5 around 1 p.m. Three of her dogs, which she describes as family, were also killed in the fire.
This also left them scrambling to find a shelter for their cows.
"The cows come home for fall and winter, calving, and so we were going to be bringing the cows home, but since this happened, we have no electricity," Dickerson said.
Not only did they need to find shelter for themselves, but for nearly 15 cows.
"We're running the well off the generator and the cows need water full time on a float. I can't have a generator running when we're not there, so there's no way to bring them home at least for the next several months," Dickerson said.
Dickerson said the community quickly came together to find a temporary home for the cows, but they'll eventually need something more permanent.
"Long term, we'll need a pasture that can sustain them throughout at least the majority of the year until we can get electricity here," Dickerson said.
She said their insurance policy will only cover the dwelling and not only of the belongings lost inside.
"Anything from my fiance's buck that he got when his grandfather passed away to books and textbooks from college," Dickerson said.
A small town, giving Dickerson, her family and her animals a place to go when they felt like they had nowhere to turn.
"I really really am so thankful for this community. I mean, they pulled together within hours and I had support everywhere. That's why I moved up here. That's why I want to stay," Dickerson said.
As of right now, Dickerson said they plan to keep the same property and rebuild. You can learn more about ways to help them by clicking here.