Woman donates trailer to fire victim

Yuman Carmen Keenan said her heart went out to the now homeless woman who lost the motorhome she lived in during a wildfire that was east of Winterhaven this weekend.

"It really saddens me to see things like that," Keenan said. "When times are tough you can always use a hand, even if its from a stranger."

Keenan said after reading an article in Thursday's edition of The Sun she decided to donate an older model 27-foot travel trailer she owns to Leaora Portilla, whose 21-foot motorhome was lost in the fire, which also claimed another trailer and some tent sites.

"If she wants it, she is more than welcome to have it," Keenan said. "It may not be very pretty, and it needs some work, but it is a start."

Keenan continued, saying, "If something like that ever happened to me I hope someone would be kind enough to help me."

Portilla, whose only possessions now are the clothes she was washing that night, said she is just overwhelmed by Keenan's generosity.

"I can't thank her enough," Portilla said.

Keenan said the two-bedroom trailer, although an older model, is in very good shape, but will need a little bit of work done to it.

"It has new carpet, but it needs to be installed," Keenan said. "It also needs a propane tank and an air conditioner."

The sink area in the trailer also needs some work, according to Keenan, but she isn't sure what that all entails.

"I'm not a guy so I don't know what to do to fix it," Keenan said. "The tires are still in good shape also."

The one bad thing about the trailer, Keenan said, is that she does not have a title to it, just the bill of sale she got when she bought it.

Keenan said she will give that bill of sale to Portilla when she takes the trailer, which is currently parked in the drive way of her home in the 1800 block of W. 27th Street.

But Keenan isn't the only person who has come forward to help Portilla. Patrick McCoy, the owner of McCoy's Trailer Park in Winterhaven has given Portilla a space at the park to put the trailer once she gets it.

"Some other guy also called and offered me a trailer," Portilla said.

Keenan said she is in the process of trying to contact the Red Cross about covering the cost of moving the trailer.

The Red Cross compensated Portilla a total of $280 following the fire, in the form of $100 for two nights in a motel and another $180 for food and clothing.

Portilla added she hopes to have the trailer moved sometime within the next few days.

According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the fire, which was located a half-mile to a mile east of Paradise Casino, burned about 23 acres east of Winterhaven

Matt Soulier, Yuma duty officer for the BIA, said they do not have an official cause for the fire, but added it was human caused, and is 100 percent contained.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.