House fire in Golden Gate Estates leaves Vietnam vet homeless

A Vietnam War veteran lost his Golden Gate Estates home to a fire Sunday night.

Seventy-one-year-old Donald Cline felt an intense heat against his back while inside his kitchen at his home.

“I thought maybe I didn’t close it or turn it off. I checked that; everything was OK. I checked the stove, everything was OK. Then I started seeing smoke,” Cline said.

Cline claimed that the fire started after he began to heat up a piece of pizza in the microwave.
Cline suddenly felt the kitchen getting hotter and knew he had to get out.

He returned into the kitchen three times to try to salvage some of his things. “I shouldn’t have gone in a third time. I fell over the coffee table and hurt myself trying to get out of the house, but I managed to get out,” Cline said.

Cline said that he lost everything he owned to the house fire, including his money but is thankful for being alive.

“I’ve invested 30 years in all this stuff, and I worked hard. I’m retired now. All my neighbors know me; they know I’d do anything for them,” Cline said.

Cline is currently occupying in a trailer next to his home and plans to rebuild his lost home.

Cline mentioned that he appreciates everyone who’s offered help in any way, like the American Red Cross and his friends.

Maurice Cardoso lives across the street and heard the fire from his room.

“I was in my room, and my aunt’s friend saw a fire right across the street. So, I had to run to over here, and I see a fire. I was so scared; I was like in shock,” Cardoso said.

Cline is staying in a trailer next to his home and said he plans to rebuild. He’s particularly grateful to everyone who’s offered to help him, especially the American Red Cross.