Victims of Balch Springs fire return to their homes 2 days later
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - It's been two days since the devastating grass fire that spread and destroyed a dozen homes in Balch Springs.
The loss to families can be especially hard on young children.
Mitch and Rachel Ryan's home suffered some of the worst damage.
The couple wasn't sure their kids could handle seeing this, but they had to make a decision a lot of other parents are also faced with.
It's where Kevin and Nevaeh learned how to ride bikes, it's where the holidays were celebrated and the family dogs wrestled in the living room.
But the Ryan's no longer have that place they called home.
It was one of the houses on a Balch Springs street overtaken on Monday by a grass fire.
"It's our favorite home, we had a lot of good memories in this home," Mitch said.
On Wednesday, Mitch and his wife Rachel tried to find things to salvage, which wasn't much.
They also thought it was a good time for their 10 and 8-year-old to see it for the first time with their own eyes.
"I'm very sad," Kevin Ryan, Mitch and Rachel's son said. "I didn't want this to happen ever."
Kevin carried three of his Hot Wheels cars out of his bedroom while Nevaeh saved a precious stuffed animal she found in hers.
"I feel like they needed to see it, they handled it a lot better than I expected," Rachel said.
If the whole family is handling it better than expected it's only because, they say, of the support from friends and strangers.
"Thank you is not enough," Rachel said. "Everybody's been helping us out we can ever think enough there's no way I could ever show appreciation."
The Ryan's have insurance but said it won't be enough so their friends are raising money for them online.
They have a hotel room paid for through Monday.
After that, they said they don't know what their future holds.
