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By Cecilie Shamanow
El Cajon – Imagine going to sleep at night in your home, content, safe and secure, only to wake up to it going up in flames. Melissa Taylor didn’t have to imagine such a tragedy because it was her reality. The 65-year-old El Cajon resident woke up the night of August 7th to a fire rapidly spreading through her home.
Taylor, who normally falls asleep to the sound of her television, was awoken at 5:30 pm. by the sudden silence caused by the power going out in her trailer. She could hear the sound of her neighbors outside yelling for her to get out.
She narrowly escaped; the trailer was burned beyond repair in a matter of moments. Taylor could do nothing but watch as it burned, and listen to the sounds of her four cats crying inside, unable to escape.
“I’m really so devastated about losing my things, but my cats, was the hardest thing,” she told ECM.
According to the fire report, the cause of the fire is undetermined. Taylor suspects that the fire started at an electrical outlet where there was nothing plugged in.
“Everything burned,” she said. “My front room, dining room, kitchen, half of my bedroom, down the hallway, bathroom; the smoke damage [was] unbelievable.”
Since the fire, Taylor has been taken in by her neighbor and friend of ten years, sleeping on her neighbor’s couch.
Taylor is well known in the community, thought well of by friends and customers alike. She is described as a simple, happy person who is “always smiling.” They have been a great support to her in her time of need.
Taylor has worked for Uncle Mikes Pest Control for 27 years; she is the only employee and due to the fire, had to miss work for the first time. She is thankful that her work truck was not damaged so she could continue to support herself.
“I work[ed] hard for it,” she said of her ruined home. “I work hard every day. I’m 65 and the work I do is kind of physical.”
When asked if she needed anything other than funds, Taylor was humble in her response. “No…I have my work clothes, I have food. I mostly just need financial help so I can possibly replace my mobile home.”
While Taylor does have insurance, it is not enough to cover the cost of demolishing the old trailer and buying a new one. Her mortgage would have been paid off in April 2024 and she would have been headed for retirement.
“I’ve lived there 19 years and that’s the longest I’ve lived anywhere since I was 11…. It’s home to me, my friends are there, and I like it,” Taylor told ECM holding back tears. “People know me, they know I wouldn’t ask for help if I didn’t really need it. I just want a home.”
You can help Mellissa Taylor in her goal to rebuild her home by donating to her GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/3d82b93f
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