Woman dead after Coulterville fire, over a dozen residents displaced

Monday, July 22, 2024
COULTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Residents in Coulterville are in shock after a fire tore through their mobile home park, leaving one woman dead.

"Devastating, not very good," said Lulu Brown.

She shared her pain after a fire tore through her small RV home community.

"I went all the way down to the side of my trailer park, on the driveway, knocked on everyone's door, I saved three lives, they got out. It's really sad, but I got them out," said Brown.

Remnants of books, cars and home appliances are all that's left after the fire spread rapidly early Sunday morning.



Video from ABC30 insider Jim Patton shows flames and smoke shooting into the sky, while torching everything on the ground.

The blaze killed one woman. Family members have identified her as Cynthia Morgan.

"I've known her for a long time, since I've lived up here. She's a friend of mine's mother, as a matter of fact, so yeah, I was tough," said neighbor Mike Smith.

These images shared with Action News show Morgan with her family. Neighbors say she was a kind, sweet woman to be around.

"Anytime you lose a member up here, it hits all of us," said Mariposa County Supervisor Shannon Poe.



He adds, the people living in this RV community are primarily retired and on fixed incomes. And insurance costs have become overwhelmingly expensive, making this loss even more difficult.

"If anybody's out there, that has a travel trailer that they would like to donate, or six, or there's multiple people, you know what, you're gonna be giving someone a new home," said Poe.

As the investigation into the cause of the fire continues, the community is already coming together to support the fire victims with immediate needs.

The Red Cross is providing hotel stays and food vouchers, while multiple county agencies and organizations are collecting donations and providing resources for recovery.

Poe says Premiere Valley Bank has a donation account called Tuolumne-Mariposa County Tragedy Fund.



Mariposa Safe Families, Inc. are working to supply those impacted by the fire with clothes and other necessities.

You can donate at 5010 Fairgrounds Road, Mariposa, CA, 95338.

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