A couple who has a 1-year-old daughter and preparing to welcome a new infant say they’re scrambling to replace baby supplies after their Lake Hughes-area home was destroyed this week in the Lake Fire.
At 8 months pregnant, Brittny Daskey was forced to evacuate with her family Wednesday afternoon. As she was scrambling to gather important belongings, a firefighting aircraft dumped a load of Phos-Chek fire retardant on her and her home, Daskey said.
“Probably the scariest moment of my life was running, packing, hot — the stuff covers me and (my daughter), the dog, all of our stuff,” she told KTLA. “It felt like a war zone.”
Despite the upheaval, Daskey says she didn’t imagine it would be the last time she saw their house standing.
But Friday morning, they returned to find a burnt-out lot. Cellphone video captured Daskey’s immediate reaction: “Oh my God, that’s our f—ing house.”
The expectant mother says she “lost everything.”
Daskey, her boyfriend and 1-year-old Victoria have been staying with relatives in Saugus.
Their home is among at least three consumed by flames since the Lake Fire exploded Wednesday afternoon. Fire officials have said they expect the tally of structures destroyed to increase once they can better survey the area.
The blaze was still threatening homes Friday after covering more than 11,600 acres. Additional evacuations were ordered in the Fairmont area Friday evening.
Daskey was able to save some family photos and the baby chicks they’re raising. But everything she’ll need to welcome her new child is gone.
“We lost everything we had for the new baby. We have practically nothing,” she said. “We have maybe a couple outfits, [a] car seat covered in fire retardant.”
Daskey’s midwives started a GoFundMe campaign to help her replace the baby items she lost, which they said included everything she’d received at her baby shower.
But with another baby soon to arrive, Daskey says she is counting her blessings and realizing it could have been much worse.
“We made it out safe, our animals made it out safe, so that’s the most important thing,” she said. “But it’s really scary. It’s really surreal. We built that house. Everything we worked for is gone.”
Daskey said her family plans on rebuilding.
