Vallejo family in need after devastating house fire

 VALLEJO, Calif. (KTVU) -- Three generations of a Vallejo family are trying to figure out how to recover from a New Year's Day fire that destroyed their home.

It happened on Indiana Street, near Highway 29.

The family spoke exclusively with KTVU Fox 2 reporter, Debora Villalon about their loss.

"I basically ran out with nothing but boxers on," said Randy Valencia.

On Friday night, he wore clothes he had bought from a gift card given to him by the Red Cross.

"I'm glad that my fiancee is a light sleeper, because if she wasn't, we wouldn't have made it out, at all," said Valencia. "We would have been stuck up there and jumped out of a window."

This fire glowed so bright, crews could see it as they left their stations. Arriving, they feared people might be trapped in the burning back unit.  But the sound of windows shattering had rousted Valencia, his fiancee and their one-year-old son.

"My only thing that I could do was get my slippers on and grab him, and wrap him up in whatever blanket I could grab," said Kelley Clevenger. "And by the time i got to the stairs i couldn't even see the steps."

If we had been in that room five minutes longer, we probably wouldn't have made it out."

"That would be hard to save anybody with that type of fire activity and heat," said Capt. Sean Googins, Vallejo Fire Department.

A narrow alley, and downed power lines, made this a difficult fire fight.

Valencia's parents, sister, and his two other sons escaped from the front house, and crews concentrated on keeping the fire from spreading to neighbors.

With trees and fences burning, and flames forty feet high, heat blew out windows at an apartment building next door.

The house on the other side had its siding melted away. But this damage was nothing compared to the Valencia's. 

"Total loss as far as their property, and contents," said Capt. Googins "I don't even have the keys to my car. So I can go to work. All my work clothes, my boots, everything is gone," said Valencia.

School resumes Monday for the two boys, ten and thirteen, and their books and backpacks are burned. They only have a few days worth of clothes.

"I don't want them to have to miss school," said Clevenger. She says she also does not want the children to be pitied, but the family is out of options.

For now, the family is staying with relatives in Fairfield, but they desperately need a place to rent in Vallejo to restore some stability in this new year. 

A gofundme site has been set up to help the family. You can find it on the top of KTVU.com, under the section, web links.