Desert Hot Springs family says insurance dropped coverage months before fire destroyed their home

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - A Desert Hot Springs family said they're trying to rebuild after a fire destroyed their home months after their homeowners insurance was canceled.

Yurixa Carrillo Aldana said seeing what remains of the house where she grew up has been hard.

"It's very difficult to be here and see your childhood home in this state," Aldana said.

She said the fire happened Sunday, and quickly spread through the home. Everyone inside, including the family’s pets, escaped safely.

Before the fire, Aldana said her family had been dealing with a different challenge — finding new insurance coverage after learning their previous policy ended, despite the family paying into the policy for more than 25 years.

"My father and brother were looking for new insurances," Aldana said. "A lot of them were either leaving California or they raised the rates extremely high."

She said her father had recently completed home updates requested by the insurer.

"My dad finally paid for the updates and got it all done," Aldana said. "Then they said they were no longer covering California and they canceled his insurance."

She said her family is now raising funds to help replace essential items after losing a lifetime of memories including precious family photos.

KESQ is waiting to hear back from the family to clarify which insurance company dropped them.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the full story at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.