CA Firefighters Rebuild Woman's Fence Destroyed by Fire

July 29, 2019
Fresno firefighters worked Saturday to build the fence for the woman, who was struggling with mounting bills and couldn't afford repair costs.

After the loss of her husband and facing mounting bills, Carole Dzerigian wasn't sure how she would deal with her latest hardship: replacing the fence around her California home that was destroyed in a fire earlier this month. The scorched debris had become an eyesore, and without the fence as a deterrent, homeless people to camp out in her backyard.

But Dzerigian was surprised Saturday when the Fresno firefighters responsible for putting out the fire on her property July 19 showed up Saturday to rebuild the burned down fence.

“I was like, 'Oh my goodness,' and I hugged their necks," she told KESS-TV. "I couldn’t even speak."

Firefighter Peter Dodson also owns a construction company, and he and other members of the department worked all day to put up the new fence after hearing about Dzerigian's struggles. Along with this month's fire, her husband died last year, and she has been unable to pay her heating or water bills.

"That is what it is all about. To see the joy on her face and the happiness and the joy she has for this," Dodson told KESS.

After replacing the fence, the fire department also chipped in to pay for Dzerigian's water bill, the TV station added.