'It just breaks my heart:' Michigan family loses everything in house explosion



GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A raging fire destroyed everything one Michigan family had. Now, they're trying to start over.

Pedro Berlanga said he and his daughter were asleep in their rooms when an explosion woke them up.

"I thought it was outside and I went outside to check what happened, but when I see nothing I go back into the house and then I see the smoke coming," Berlanga said.

Pedro's wife, Conny, returned home from a doctor's appointment to find her home and cherished memories going up in smoke.

"Thirty years in the same house. I loved it there," Conny said. "My backyard was so cute, now it's not. I don't like going back there now. It just breaks my heart."

The Grand Rapids Fire Department said when they arrived on scene they were able to get the family and all but one pet out of the home safely.

The house itself is a total loss though, leaving the Berlanga family with nothing but the clothes on their backs and each other.

"I have no idea right now what we're going to do," Conny said.

The family received assistance from the Red Cross and is now looking for another home. There is also a GoFundMe account supporting them.