DALLAS, Texas — Every family has a beacon or a lighthouse they go to for the holidays to spend Christmas with their loved ones. For many -- it's your parents or grandparents' home.
For the Lombardo family -- it was their parents' Melinda, 67, and Donato, 73, Lombardo. Their house sits off Shady Hollow Lane. in Dallas and was supposed to be the backdrop for Christmas 2023 -- but now that's officially been upended.
What was likely an electrical fire gutted the home last Saturday. Christmas presents, decades of memories, and personal belongings are now all gone. Per their son Dan Lombardo, the house had been part of the family for around 50 years.
"My mom actually grew up in this home when my grandparents owned it," Lombardo said. "For as long as I remember--this is the place we always went to for Christmas."
The four walls of the home are still standing, and so is the roof -- but on the inside, everything looks like a wood stove. Pictures, belongings, and anything you'd expect along the crevices of a home are pitch black -- frozen there in time. Melinda was inside the house when the fire started -- she and her husband lost a cat and some pet birds, too.
"She laid down to rest and heard a pop against the wall, felt the heat, saw smoke, and then the curtains just went up in a blaze," Lombardo said. "She rushed to get out of the house--but might have spent too long inside looking for the pets."
Melinda is now at Parkland Hospital, recovering from smoke inhalation.
"Understanding the logistics of Christmas this year and how we start the new year--it's just a surreal moment. My mom is going to be spending Christmas in the hospital," Lombardo said.
While Melinda recovers, Donato has nowhere to go and still has to work -- he's living out of a motel, per Lombardo. Insurance will likely cover most of the loss--but now Lombardo is raising money to ensure his parents land on their feet.
"It's really focusing on temporary housing--someplace to put them where they can be comfortable and safe -- where they can start to buy clothes again and make their meals," Lombardo said.
If you'd like to help--Lombardo and his siblings have created a GoFundMe.