Francisco Lopez had already faced years of physical hardship when the Hawk Fire spread through Reno on Aug. 22.
The 47-year-old was severely burned in the fire and is being treated at the intensive-care burn unit at UC Davis in California. His home was destroyed, along with nearly everything he owned.
His only son, Juan Lopez, said the fire has left his father facing another difficult chapter.
Francisco spent years working at a carnicería in Reno. A workplace accident partially amputated two of his fingers. Later, diabetes led to the amputation of half of his right foot and three toes on his left. Eventually, the pain made it impossible for him to continue working.
He lived in a trailer in the North Valleys with his girlfriend and her aunt, 83-year-old Hayde Medina Valiente.
When the Hawk Fire broke out Saturday, Juan was working in another part of Reno. His mother called, worried about the fire spreading through the North Valleys. She wanted to know if Francisco was safe.
Juan called his father around 5 p.m.
There was no answer.
About two hours later, Francisco called back and told Juan he was at a Reno hospital after being burned in the fire.
“When he told me he was in the hospital because of the fire, my heart dropped,” Juan said. “I didn’t know what to think. I was just hoping and praying that he was all right.”
According to Juan, Francisco and his girlfriend had briefly left the trailer to get water as the fire approached. When they returned, flames had already reached the trailer.
Juan said his father tried to go back inside to save the family’s three dogs.
In the chaos, Francisco fell into the fire. Somehow, he managed to get himself out.
Francisco and the two women were taken to a local Reno hospital at around 6 p.m. Francisco’s burns were severe enough that doctors determined he needed specialized care. Around 3 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23 he was transferred to the burn center at UC Davis.
Doctors are evaluating the extent of his injuries and whether he will need skin graft surgery.
Hayde Medina Valiente later died from injuries sustained in the fire.
Back in Reno, the trailer is gone.
So are Francisco’s belongings, including his clothing and furniture. The family also believes the three dogs died in the fire.
Juan said his father, his girlfriend and Hayde never received an evacuation alert on their phones.
He believes receiving a warning could have changed what happened that night.
“I feel upset because if they had gotten that notification, I know my dad wouldn’t have tried to go back and save everything from the trailer,” Juan said. “We wouldn’t be in this situation right now. He wouldn’t have lost everything — his house, his clothing, his dogs, all of it.”
He believes an earlier warning could have given his father and the two women more time to leave before the flames reached their home.
Now Juan is trying to help his father recover while managing the demands of work and his own life.
“I’m my dad’s only son, and trying to juggle work and this whole situation is really stressful,” Juan said. “Nobody thinks this is going to happen to their family one day.”
Juan does not know how long his father will remain in the hospital. He is organizing a fundraiser to help Francisco with housing, clothing and other basic needs once he is discharged.
For now, Francisco remains in a burn ICU in California, facing a long recovery.
If you’d like to help Francisco Lopez, visit this GoFundMe campaign.
