Friends and family mourn tragic loss of father, daughter who died in Fairview Fire
The Fairview Fire continues to rage in Hemet, nearing 10,000 acres Wednesday afternoon at just 5% containment after its ignition on Monday.
Since firefighters began their battle with the flames, which has been aided by extremely dry terrain and triple-digit temperatures, hundreds have been forced to evacuate from their homes.
Several structures have burned down and two people have died.
As friends mourn the father and daughter who fell victim to the flames, they promise to stand by the woman left behind — burned and without her family, pets and home.
"She lost everything," said Melissa Gardner, a friend of Tina Compton's. "She has nothing."
Compton lost her husband Ian, 40, his 27-year-old daughter Mikayla Porter, who had severe autism, and their family pets in the fire as they attempted to flee from their home as the flames continued to spread, surrounding their car.
"They asked for help, they asked my husband to go help evacuate them and their fur babies," Gardner said through tears. "By the time we got there, the fire had moved so fast, so rapidly that they wouldn't let us go through to help them. So, while they were in their vehicles trying to flee the scene, is when all of it got lost."
Compton managed to survive because her neighbor, a retired firefighter, ran to her side after hearing her screams. She remains in critical condition after suffering third-degree burns — mostly to her legs and arms.
"She will survive. She's a fighter. She's a strong woman," said Dannette Maurer, another friend of Compton's. "But, it's going to be a very long road. More so emotionally, I think, than physically."
Jenna Young, another of Compton's friends, shared a video of her evacuation on Facebook, where police can be heard warning residents that the fire would be in their neighborhood within three minutes' time.
"It was just panic. Nothing was happening. We just watched in shock," she said, while speaking with CBSLA reporter Michele Gile. "It was very windy. There were no helicopters, there were initially no police officers, there were no messages on our phone. ... We couldn't figure out why there were no firemen. There was nothing."
Friends and family have established a GoFundMe page for Compton, which can be found by searching for the words "The Compton Family."
They're urging anyone who has the means to help her get through the tragedy to do so.
"She, at this point, has lost everything and everyone that was dear to her," Maurer said. "Her home, her family, her pets, her source of income — everything is gone. She's trying to heal and trying to cope with the fact that she's the only one who made it out."
