A Temecula family that rescued a kitten from the Cajon Pass just weeks ago is seeking community support after a fire ravaged their home, and their new furry addition, Bugs, fell ill.
“We’re struggling to cope,” said Ryann McCaffrey, the mother who, with a car full of kids, pulled over on a busy mountain interstate to pull Bugs from the freeway median last month. “I’m overwhelmed with emotions — numb, scared, hopeful, traumatized, thankful, and heartbroken all at once.”
The blaze broke out on Aug. 20, when the family and their 12 pets — yes, 12 — were home.
Around 3:30 p.m. that Wednesday, Ryann said she smelled smoke and checked the news for nearby fires, but didn’t see any. Figuring it was nothing to be alarmed about, Ryann went on with her chores while her husband, Matt McCaffrey, prepped dinner and their kids wrapped up screen time.
About 30 minutes later, Matt opened the back doors and noticed smoke coming from the patio. He ran to grab a fire extinguisher but, when he looked back, he saw the upstairs of their home already engulfed in flames.
“I was in the garage with the door open and a man walking by caught my attention, saying, ‘I think your house is on fire — I called 911,’” recalled Ryann. “I turned around and saw black smoke billowing from the roof. I ran inside, and at that moment, my husband was yelling at the kids to get out.”
All three children and nine of their pets were still inside. While her two youngest ran out immediately, their oldest daughter, Rylie, tried to reach two cats in the primary bedroom — Mr. Kitty and the “freeway kitten,” Bugs — but “black smoke filled the entire upstairs.”
Ryann said Mr. Kitty ran out, but, just after he narrowly escaped, the door slammed shut — leaving Bugs trapped inside the burning room.
The rest of the family continued barrelling into action. Parents and good Samaritans moved other animals to safety, including two German shepherds, two guinea pigs, a tarantula and a leopard gecko. Ryann later used a ladder and a respirator to pull her son’s bearded dragon through an upstairs window, “but almost passed out in the process.” Luckily, their three parakeets were already outside.
Firefighters “risked their lives for our family,” Ryann said. Within minutes, crews emerged with a soot-covered pillowcase holding Bugs, who was largely unresponsive. Ryann said her father drove Bugs to Vail Ranch Vet, where a veterinarian began treatment. Mr. Kitty was also taken to the vet, but in much better shape than his new brother, and was released the next day.
The Fire Department red-tagged the home and, according to the family, noted obvious signs of an electrical fire. Ryann said a light switch in the primary bedroom showed a “V explosion,” with flames racing into the attic and roof and smoke pushing through the ducts. Soot and water damaged every room.
“It has been absolutely devastating, but it could have been so much worse,” said Ryann. “Our kids could have been home alone, we could have been away from the house, or it could have happened in the night.”
A family friend told KTLA the McCaffreys lost everything. “They have 3 school aged children,” the friend said. “Everything is gone, the kids ran out without shoes on their feet.”
The family was renting and had a $10,000 renter’s insurance policy. “Our heart hurts for the owners as well as they are mourning the loss of a home where they raised their family,” said Ryann. The McCaffreys have since been splitting time between relatives’ homes while navigating insurance and recovery.
In the meantime, community support has been pouring in: a Linfield Middle School teacher, Teddi Thyfault, comforted the younger children at the scene; friends Carla Kayes and Lauren Bueno helped gather pets; the Temecula Valley Inline Hockey Association offered assistance that night; and donations and gestures followed, including a Shamrock restaurant fundraiser with musician Mike Chartrand, a care package from Anaheim Feed and clothing from Violent Gentleman and Travis Mathew. The Red Cross and scores of strangers have also helped.
“This has been so traumatizing, but we are getting through it because of our amazing community,” said Ryann. As for their new kitten, the family said he’s expected to survive.
After he was saved from the fire, Bugs was transferred to a veterinary hospital, treated for pneumonia and placed in an oxygen chamber with IVs for two days. He’s back with the family and recovering. “He is warming up to the kids and my husband,” Ryann said of Bugs. “I have taken the role of giving the medicine which he does not like … he runs from me and has given me a couple love bites.”
The rescue that made Bugs part of the family happened in late July, when traffic slowed on the Cajon Pass. Ryann coaxed the then-feral kitten from a divider — even using slices of Lunchables ham — in triple-digit heat. A veterinarian later sedated and examined the cat, treated him for parasites and fleas, and the family gradually socialized him at home. Ryann began calling him “Bugs.”
Donations can be made at the family’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-mccaffrey-family-rebuild-after-fire
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