Gardnerville Ranchos resident Makayla Schulze will always remember her eighth birthday as the day her house burned down.
The fire occurred Sunday evening while the family was at a park after Makayla's birthday party.
When the family returned to 1321 Mary Jo Drive, they found a fire had destroyed or damaged most of their possessions and left the house uninhabitable.
According to East Fork Fire Investigator Terry Taylor, the fire started in the northwest corner of the home and was accidental. Firefighters received the first report at about 7:05 p.m., according to Chief Tod Carlini. Flames were showing out of the back of the home when firefighters arrived.
"They basically lost everything," Taylor said. "The real heartbreaker is that this poor little girl for the rest of her life, will remember her birthday as the day she got burned out of her house."
In addition to Makayla, the family consists of John and Sandra Schulze, both 29, Vicki Martin, 13, and 4-year-old Gahvin Schulze.
After spotting the fire, Taylor said neighbors Rich Nalder, a Tahoe-Douglas firefighter, and Ramone Natividad entered the home to see if anyone was inside.
Smoke was 4 feet from the floor and forced the two men back out of the house before they could get all the way through.
They and firefighters rescued a cat and two kittens from the home. At least three other animals, including a ferret, died in the fire.
"The fire came into the house and trashed everything," Taylor said. "It did some damage to the roof, but we were able to save some clothing and a few small items of furniture."
The American Red Cross provided the family with emergency housing and Carson Valley Veterinary took care of the cat and kittens.
"These are good people who've lost everything and need our help," Taylor said.
Career firefighters from Minden and the Gardnerville Ranchos stations joined volunteers from Sheridan Acres, Gardnerville and Fish Springs to extinguish the blaze.
Sandra Schulze thanked the community for the support for the family.
"The kids wanted to thank the firefighters for not letting the house burn down and saving the cat and kittens," she said.
The Red Cross is coordinating relief efforts for the family. For information call 856-1000.
