Arizona veteran loses everything in fire near Florence

FLORENCE, Ariz. — A 90-year-old veteran still has faith after losing everything in a fire near Florence.

“If you're a God-fearing person rather than fearing like me, you want to cry, you want to… you want to be very sad,” Jerry Noland said. “But on the other hand, look where God left you, standing, smiling, walking, talking, so it’s pretty awesome.”

Noland said his caretaker had just dropped him off and had just taken a bite of his sandwich when he started smelling smoke.

Noland said he looked around but didn't see anything at first, then noticed smoke.

“I could see the wind creating smoke shadows as heavy smoke passed through the window like a shadow,” Noland said.

Noland said he saw two of his neighbors running to help him and asked if there was anyone else in the house.

“Well, it's hard to imagine… you look around and your whole house is on fire,” Jerry Noland said. “I went back outside and by the time I got out it was burning healthy, pretty big.”

Lisa Somerton, Noland's caretaker, said the veteran has been staying with her since the fire.

“You don’t have time to really analyze what you’re thinking,” Noland said. “You just think, well, my house is burning down.”

Somerton said fortunately Jerry Noland's two goats, Dorothy and Florence, as well as his dog Cissy, survived the fire.

“Right now he's staying with me and my boys, and he keeps saying he doesn't want to be a burden,” Somerton said. “I keep telling him you’re not a burden, you’re a blessing. You got through it, and I tell him God isn't done with you yet.

Noland said even though he lost everything, he was grateful to be alive.

Noland's friends have started a fundraiser to help him in his situation:

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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