Winterhaven Family Loses Home in Weekend Fire, Yuma FD Assists

A Winterhaven family lost their home and all their possessions in a house fire Sunday, leaving father Cuauhtemoc Sanchez and his family with no shelter and few belongings. No injuries were reported, but the destruction was total.

The Yuma Fire Department says it was dispatched across the California border to assist the Imperial County Fire Department, which serves Winterhaven as the primary agency. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with no agency yet named as the lead on the inquiry.

Sanchez described the scope of what his family faces. "Sad because we lost everything. We don't have no where to stay...clothes," he said.

The community has already begun organizing support. Donations for the Sanchez family can be dropped off at 1567 E. 23rd Street in Yuma. The full list of requested items was not available at the time of reporting.

Winterhaven sits just across the Colorado River from Yuma, and the two communities share emergency resources through mutual aid agreements. Yuma Fire Department records show the department logged seven mutual aid responses during a recent one-week period, including two calls to assist Imperial County with medical emergencies in the Winterhaven area, a reflection of how routinely the two agencies coordinate across state lines.

The investigation into what started the fire is ongoing. Anyone able to donate goods to the family can bring items to the 23rd Street address in Yuma.