Area woman homeless after mobile home fire

Leaora Portilla was at the Lee Hotel Sunday night visiting a friend and doing her laundry, when another of her friends called her and told her about a wildfire that was burning near where the motorhome she lived in was parked.
 
"He told me there was a big fire down there, came and got me, and took me down there," Portilla said. "My trailer was still there when we got there but I knew I was going to lose it."
 
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the fire, which was human caused, burned about 23 acres east of Winterhaven and destroyed a trailer, some tent sites and a 21-foot motorhome, which belonged to Portilla.
 
"I lost everything I owned and I'm now homeless," Portilla said. "I have nothing. The only things I have now are the two bags of laundry I was doing that night."
 
Portilla said she believes firefighters, who she says were from the Winterhaven Fire Department, had ample time to save her motorhome, but chose not to.
 
She explained that when she got there, she asked them if they could tow it away from the area, but instead she said they told her they would try to save it by spraying water on it.
 
"It was out of gas at the time," Portilla said. "All they had to do was pull it 20 feet across the road, because the fire never jumped it."
 
She added that the firefighters had already pulled her neighbor's trailer across the road by the time she got there.
 
The Sun attempted to contact the Winterhaven Fire Department seeking comment for the article but was not able to reach anyone.
 
Matt Soulier, Yuma duty officer for the BIA, said the fire is 100 percent contained and that the agency will probably call it controlled by 6 p.m. Wednesday evening.
 
"Controlled means there is no chance of it spreading anywhere," Soulier said. "There is still some interior smoke, but we are taking care of it." 
 
Soulier added that the 10-member firefighting crew from the Tucson that came to assist has been dismissed, so the firefighters on the scene now are from the BIA.
 
The Red Cross compensated Portilla a total of $280, in the form of $100 for two nights in a motel and another $180 for food and clothing.
 
Portilla, who is disabled and claims to have two life-threatening illnesses, said she does not know what she is going to do next.
 
"I also am going to have neck surgery soon because I was rear-ended by a semi truck in 2007," Portilla said.
 
She added that she doesn't plan on going to the homeless shelter because she is afraid she will get sick.

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