Ruskin family loses everything in early-morning fire

Thursday, December 24, 2009

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Everything in the house was destroyed.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A fire destroyed a Ruskin family's mobile home early Thursday morning.

Mark Broviak and his four children are trying to cope with their loss during the holidays.

The early-morning fire destroyed their double-wide home, and Broviak said he used a water hose to try to save family heirlooms and Christmas presents.

"I tried putting it out," he said. "I mean, I was spraying and spraying, and it seemed like it was just breathing fire. I mean, it was going up fast."

His efforts were to no avail, as by the time firefighters arrived, his home was engulfed in flames. Everything was destroyed.

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Broviak said he believes faulty wiring caused the fire, but investigators said they have yet to determine the exact cause.

Broviak's daughter, Brittany, said the fire could not have happened at a worse time.

"It's just devastating and horrible, because there's a bunch of memories in there," she said.

The Broviaks did manage to save their dogs, but their cat was lost in the fire. Despite the devastation, Broviak said he is still thankful for some things.

"I care more about my children and my animals," he said. "I'm thankful for that. So in order to have a merry Christmas, I will have a merry Christmas because my family's alive."

The Broviaks will stay with relatives while they try to rebuild their lives. The Red Cross is providing them with food, clothing, and shoes.