A single mother and her three kids are starting over after a fire destroyed their Hillsborough home, business and killed seven pets.
On Thursday, Cortney Knight spent the day digging. Her hands were stained and shirt blackened as she picked up the remains of a life up in smoke. Knight's home in the 1600 block of Riverside Drive caught fire on Wednesday night.
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Lost in the fire were memories.
"All the things my kids made me at school ... my son's high school diploma got burned," said Knight.
Also gone is Knight's photography business.
"I have a couple of hard drives I think are OK, but I'm not sure," said Knight. "I'm scared to even start that process."
But Knight said the most painful loss, especially for her 6- and 8-year-old daughters, are the seven pets who were unable to be saved from the fire.
"The first question [my daughters] asked was about Noley and Ranger and Maddie, and I had to sit them down and explain they didn't make it, Then they asked about the kittens, It was a long, long evening with them," said Knight.
Orange Rural Fire Department said the fire likely started in the kitchen. Firefighters and EMTs were on scene for over four hours saving what they could of the structure and trying to revive the animals.
"They didn't have to come but they did. They didn't have to work on my dogs they way they did. They didn't have to hold me while I sobbed. They went above and beyond. A lot of them went above and beyond."
Knight said the home will have to be stripped down to the studs
"Everything has to come out," she said.
A family friend started a GoFundMe for Knight and her children — asking for donations to replace some of what's lost. Others have stopped by to help with the demolition.
"We're just going to have to try and fix it," said Knight.
It'll take at least eight weeks to make the home livable.
But filling it with life, and love, and memories again will take a whole lot longer.
"I have have to clean what I can and start fresh," said Knight.