Neighbors in Mission Bay are trying to help out a local artist who lost his home in a fire last Wednesday night. Vinny Lucarelli lives on a street known to locals as Artists Alley. Lucarelli is known for picking up beach trash, and turning it into art.
“This is where I had my parents’ stuff. Some of it kinda survived,” said Lucarelli as he tried to find items inside his gutted home.
A few of days after a fire ripped through Lucarelli's Mission Beach home, it’s obvious he's lost almost everything. That Wednesday night, Lucarelli took a walk to Mission Bay and when he returned minutes later, he could see everything going up in flames.
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“I walk around the corner and all of a sudden I see this and I’m like ‘that’s my house?’ So I come running up and I grab the hose and I put the hose thorough the window right here,” said Lucarelli.
Neighbors have video from that night showing fire crews put out the flames. A devastated Lucarelli walked in to see the destruction.
“Four minutes. Five minutes at the max. It’s amazing to me how five minutes, poof, that’s it. It’s gone. Gonzo. That’s it,” said Lucarelli.
Lucarelli is a Connecticut native who has lived in Mission Beach for more than three decades. He loves the ocean and used to build surfboards for a living. Several of his cherished boards were destroyed in the fire. One of the biggest losses for Lucarelli was losing the possessions that belonged to his late parents.
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“These are from my parents’ house. I never looked at these before,” said Lucarelli as he searched through fire damaged family photos.
Lucarelli does not have insurance. His neighbors have been helping with food and shelter. Friends have also set up a GoFundMe fundraising page to help Lucarelli get back on his feet.
“I think when something happens around here you somehow still have that small town feel. I call it the little big small town. You still have that type of charm,” said Walden Keyes, a neighbor in Mission Beach.
“Imagine losing everything that you own and left with the clothes on your back. Where do you go from there?” Keyes added.
As Lucarelli sifted through the ashes, he remained grateful for the help he has received.
“Honestly the love, all the love for everybody. My caboose is a loss for words,” Lucarelli said.
Firefighters told Lucarelli there was an electrical issue that led to the fire. Quick action by fire crews kept the flames from spreading to neighboring homes.
