TYLER, Texas — From the front porch, the Carpenter household looks relatively normal, but take a step around the back and it's clear why their Tyler home is a complete loss.
"I'm just trying to find another home," home renter Johnny Carpenter said.
The equipment operator sat with his mother, Sue, on his brother's front porch. The place has been their refuge from the blaze that took everything from them except what matters most.
Carpenter was lying in bed watching the news when he smelled something burning.
“I ran to the back door. And you can see through the curtain on the door. It was just flames," Carpenter said.
They left with only the clothes on their backs and waited for the fire department as flames swallowed their living room, kitchen, bedrooms and everything.
Carpenter got hurt in the shuffle. He had no clue his trip to the doctor’s office would bring so many people to his side.
“We found out he had to borrow the clothes he wore for the appointment and everything," said Diane Thomason, development director for Bethesda Health Clinic in Tyler. "That's how we knew about this, because his foot was cut pretty badly.”
Thomason's team started a fundraiser for the Carpenters. The immediate support still brings Carpenter to tears.
"It blew my mind," Johnny said.
“It’s just too much take in sometimes, you know, people are really good," Sue said. "They have been so good to us."
The mother-son duo still doesn't know what started the fire but with thousands of dollars raised and counting, they feel humbled to be on the road to recovery.
Friends and family of the Carpenters will gather at their old home 2881 Highway 110 N in Tyler on this Saturday, July 23 at 8 a.m. to help salvage personal items from the rubble. Anyone is more than welcome to help.
To donate to the Carpenter's recovery, visit any Austin Bank and contribute to "Johnny Carpenter Fire Trust Fund."