Fire destroys home
CIBOLA COUNTY, N .M. - A devastating fire before the Christmas holiday left Cibola County resident Don Rogers without a home. Rogers served two tours in the Vietnam Cont1ict and describes himself as a "busy body" because he is always building things. Rogers said that he has not been the same since he left military service.
Originally from Texas, Rogers said that he ran into issues with people intentionally scaring him and throwing firecrackers near him. After erecting an Honor Wall for veterans in Hubbard, Texas, to pay tribute to not just his friends from military service but all men and women across the country who fought for freedom, he moved to New Mexico and sought the perfect place to settle down.
Rogers had built many houses before, and decided he was finally going to make a home for himself, calling it his "masterpiece." He purchased a plot ofland and built the entire two-story home all by himself.
Prior to the fire, Rogers had called Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace to ask for support in giving donations of food and firewood to families in need. Rogers quipped that he was cutting down trees on his property to lower the fire risk and had a lot of spare firewood that he was happy to share with people in need.
That night Rogers got up to Jet his dog outside, and as he was getting back in to bed, he heard a loud noise. He went to investigate and discovered that his bathroom was ablaze. The fire consumed the home quickly. Rogers had time to grab his wallet and put on some warmer clothing before escaping the burning building. He explained that the fire was likely caused by a leaky propane valve he was using to keep his pipes from freezing during the recent cold spell.
The house was completely engulfed in t1ames, within 30 minutes Rogers explained. Firefighters arrived as quickly as they could and spent the entire night fighting off the inferno. Nothing was salvageable said the homeowner. He had gold on the property that was melted from the fire; all his tools and important documents, extra money and other priceless items were lost in the flames.
Despite the destruction the veteran maintained a positive attitude, saying "The Good Lord has been good to me."
While he expressed his disappointment that his magnum opus had been destroyed, he was mostly disappointed that his daughter would not be able to see the work he put into the home, saying "I was doing this for her."
The night after the fire Rogers slept in a travel trailer and later said that he felt frozen from the experience. The situation was somewhat remedied when Tim Hoisington, a Cibola County resident and Rogers' neighbor, took him clothing and money to help cover the costs of replacing his tools.
Rogers said he is trying to construct a building to keep his dog warm at night.
The Hoisington family have been helping Rogers out as much as they can, with friends and community members from across Cibola, Texas and in some cases across the country coming together to help support Rogers.
The Hoisington's set up a Go Fund Me account [link at the bottom of the story] to help Rogers have a roof over his head again. "The Hoisington's - best family in the world - bought me food, clothes, boots - they brought me boots! They gave me money and would not let me refuse it. .. the Go Fund Me will help out a lot. I get Social Security and [Veteran's Affairs] benefits but that only goes so far," Rogers said.
Rogers said that he has never had to say thank you; he was always doing for others and does not typically accept any kind of help for himself. Despite this he explained that he is grateful for the people coming to support him.
The Go Fund Me account for Rogers can be accessed using this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/homeless-vet-donrogers?member=7554130&u trn source=twilio&utm medium=sms&utm _campaign=contacts-v2-invite-to-donate