A firefighter's family narrowly escaped a fire that destroyed their home in Montgomery County on Friday.
“You always think this happens to other people, but it's happened to a firefighter,” Arlington County Fire Capt. David Zuniga said.
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WATCH HEREEven though he’s been a firefighter for 20 years, Zuniga said he could have never prepared for this.
“I’ve been in lots of fires,” he said. “I’ve never been so scared. I thought I was going to lose my family that day.”
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SIGN UP On Friday, a fire broke out outside his home of five years in Gaithersburg.
His 18-year-old daughter woke up to the flames.
“Normally, I look outside my window, it was glowing orange this morning,” Lindsey Zuniga said. “I was expecting the most beautiful sunrise of my life, but it was my neighbor's backyard on fire, and it was getting to my window.”
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Thinking quickly, she grabbed her phone.
“I called 911, but I remember my whole family's asleep, so I ran upstairs to go wake up my parents,” she said.
She was able to alert her family so they could all rush out of the house.
David Zuniga then ran over to his neighbors’ homes to get them all out.
He said it's vital families have working smoke detectors and an emergency escape plan.
The fire destroyed the Zunigas' home and damaged three others. The family lost everything.
The community, including Montgomery County's fire department, which responded to the call, has stepped up to help, raising about $30,000 to get them back on their feet.
“The love and support, again, has been overwhelming, and I will forever be grateful,” Zuniga said. “Thank you for taking care of me and my family.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
