A newlywed California couple lost their family home and treasured wedding keepsakes in a devastating wildfire just days after getting married.
Brittany Berrett and Jaime Sifontes were enjoying their honeymoon in Monterey when Berrett’s parents called to tell them about the Mountain Fire.
During the drive home, they found out that Berrett’s $1.6 million family home in Camarillo had been engulfed by the flames.
‘It felt like the longest car ride in my entire life,’ Berrett told KTLA5. ‘There wasn’t really much we could do, so you just start thinking about everything that’s in that house, all the memories. That’s the only house I’ve ever known.’
Her worst fears were realized when they returned to, ‘nothing but ashes’.
‘My wedding dress, all of our registry gifts. We had been living with them, kind of saving everything that we didn’t have space for in their house,’ Berrett said. ‘Like, everything we were saving and building for our future.’
Sifontes, who had lived at the property for the last five years, was equally gutted.
‘It felt like a home to me,’ Sifontes added. ‘I’m very close with my wife’s family, obviously.’
Newlywed California couple Brittany Berrett and Jaime Sifontes lost their family home and treasured wedding keepsakes i n a devastating wildfire just days after getting married
But amid the heartbreak, the couple’s wedding planner decided to launch a GoFundMe to help replace essential items.
Jenna Nichols said the couple had lost Britt’s wedding dress, Jaime’s suit, their guestbook, wedding favors, gifts from guests and keepsakes from their special day.
‘They returned home to nothing but ashes, with memories that were made only days ago now gone,’ Nichols wrote.
‘Any contribution, no matter how small, would mean the world to Britt and Jaime and their family as they start to pick up the pieces.’
The couple have been touched by Nichols’ kindness, as well as those who have donated.
‘I’m immensely grateful for the family I have, helping them. I’m so grateful to Camarillo and just working to move forward,’ Sifontes said.
The Mountain Fire broke out last week, destroying almost 200 buildings.
It exploded in size on Wednesday just northwest of Los Angeles – a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years.
Around 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo came under threat.
Berrett’s family home in Camarillo was decimated during the Mountain Fire
It was the only home Berrett had ever known, while Sifontes lived at the property for the last five years
The couple lost Berrett’s wedding dress, Sifontes’ suit and ‘ their guestbook, wedding favors, gifts from guests and all the cherished keepsakes from their special day’, according to a fundraiser set up for them
The massive blaze prompted evacuation orders for more than 10,000 people as forecasters warned of the potential for ‘extreme and life-threatening’ conditions.
Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees during the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.
Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction of the normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific.
They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring.
