Dave and Luz Daniels stand with one of their twin daughters Teresa, center, in the backyard of their home in the Jackson Oaks neighborhood that was destroyed in a fire Aug. 30. The couple lived in the home for 32 years, and hope to rebuild it soon.
Luz Daniels turns 58 years old today, but for her and her family, there won't be much to celebrate.
The Daniels lost everything the early morning of Aug. 30, when their home of 32 years on Oak Leaf Court in the Jackson Oaks neighborhood burned to the ground.
"What a present," Luz Daniels said. "When I looked up at my house after I got out, I saw memories."
After a night of barbecuing, semi-retired Dave Daniels, Luz's husband, had left to work at Coyote Creek Golf Course at 5:30 a.m. that morning.
One of their twin daughters, Maria, had left for a weekend vacation with friends at Lake Shasta the night before.
Luz Daniels was sleeping on the couch in the family room that morning when she was awakened by the kitchen's fire alarm at 6 a.m.
"I ran in the kitchen and saw smoke," she said with tears in her eyes. "I looked at the TV and saw fire in the reflection."
The Peruvian native, who owns and runs her own South County cleaning service, then ran into her other twin daughter Teresa's room and yelled for her to wake up.
"I woke up in a daze," Teresa Daniels said. "I grabbed my cell phone and got out. The smoke was so thick that I couldn't breathe or open my eyes. My mom saved my life, she's my hero."
The two women then felt their way down the hallway and out the front of the house.
The Daniels had used a Webber barbecue grill the previous night to cook dinner, but Dave Daniels said the investigator is still looking into what happened.
Teresa's cell phone was the only piece of property the Daniels salvaged from the blaze. Luz Daniel's 2005 Toyota Matrix, which she is still making payments on, was parked in the garage and was consumed by the flames.
Passersby helped save the family dog, 15-year-old Wrinkles. He was carried over the backyard fence, whimpering and shaking, and into Teresa's arms. The cat, 4-year-old Shay Shay, had already run out the front door.
The Daniels family plans to rebuild their Jackson Oaks home. Houses in that area of town generally sell for between $800,000 to $1 million. The family said it's trying to cope with the loss the best they can.
Luz Daniels said she lost her appetite for a few days, and she still has trouble sleeping.
"I close my eyes, and all I see is fire," she said.
Teresa Daniels said the trouble is they woke up to fire, and at night before bed there's still an aching fear that they'll wake up to fire again.
"If we had waited two more minutes, you kind of feel like, we would have died," she said. "It's a nightmare. But it's getting better, day by day. You have to keep moving on."
On Tuesday, the family of four, with their dog and cat, moved into a temporary dwelling that their home insurance carrier, Allied Insurance, had arranged for them on Carriage Lamp Way.
Prior to that, they were set up at the Quality Inn on Condit Road.
And though times are rough for the Daniels, Teresa, 25, who had lived in the home her whole life, said that life must go on.
"I just have to stay strong," Teresa Daniels said. "I came to the realization that all of our stuff is gone, but I know I have to move on. It's a learning process."
The South County community has rallied around the family in their time of need.
The San Martin Lion's Club, where Luz Daniels frequently played bingo, donated more than $2,000 while the Live Oak bingo club pitched in more than $1,000.
And a block of tenants in a housing complex where the mother offers her cleaning services raised $140 for the family.
Other community members have offered clothes, linens and kitchen supplies.
According to the Daniels' other twin daughter, Maria, her parents had started a catering company more than 30 years ago in the South Valley area to help build the house and support their young family.
"I've been keeping myself busy," Maria Daniels said. "I've taken on a stronger role in overseeing the rebuilding process."
Maria Daniels says she has been helping her father research building codes and permits and looking into architectural development as part of the rebuilding of their home.
The Daniels family is anxious to rebuild but has learned to take life slow in the waiting months.
"Yes, it's a tragedy," Teresa Daniels said of their burned-down home. "But we got to move on. You go through the situation and you can't go back. We are looking toward the future."
Reporter Natalie Everett contributed to this story.
Jeremy Barousse Jeremy Barousse writes for the Morgan Hill Times. Send him an email.
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