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Overnight Fire Destroys Home Of Couple Raising Special Needs Child

Their humble yet cozy Oakland home meant the world to Omar McCalla and Natalie Gregory as they raised their daughter, Amaria, who was born with multiple disabilities.

Omar, Natalie and Amaria fled the fire that destroyed their home on Yawpo Avenue in Oakland before dawn Saturday, June 1 with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Omar, Natalie and Amaria fled the fire that destroyed their home on Yawpo Avenue in Oakland before dawn Saturday, June 1 with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Photo Credit: Marc Roselli / Family inset: GoFundMe
Aftermath: The fierce fire destroyed the Yawpo Avenue home in Oakland before dawn Saturday, June 1.

Aftermath: The fierce fire destroyed the Yawpo Avenue home in Oakland before dawn Saturday, June 1.

Photo Credit: Marc Roselli
Omar McCalla, Natalie Gregory and Amaria.

Omar McCalla, Natalie Gregory and Amaria.

Photo Credit: GoFundMe

"This was their first true home as a family outside of the extensive time spent at hospitals," friend Ana Sampson said. "(It) represented their bright future."

A ferocious overnight fire on Saturday stole that dream.

Flames were already shooting through the roof when firefighters arrived shortly before 2:30 a.m June 1.

They had the blaze knocked down after about an hour and a half. Fire officials were trying to determine the cause.

Omar, Natalie and 7-year-old Amaria all got out OK, but they were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Their home and belongings: All gone.

Neighbors and others who know them are hoping to raise enough money to help the couple and their special needs daughter begin to rebuild their lives.

"Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a big difference to them," Sampson wrote on a GoFundMe campaign she quickly organized.

YOU CAN HELP: Help the McCalla Family Rebuild

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