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The fire started at around 11:30 and 7news was on the scene shortly after. We begin with the plight of the fire victims.

From above They might look like a family on an afternoon outing but these women and their eight children have nowhere else to go; they are homeless after being burned out this morning in this fire at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Matura Street

The home housed four families - and these women are the hardest hit - they lost every single thing they owned right down to their children's shoes:

Jules Vasquez
"You lost everything too?"

Denisia Matura
"Everything, what my daughters and I have on right now is all that we have, my daughter can't even go back to school."

Marva Mendoza, Mother of 6
"Nothing at all was save. What is have is what I am wearing right now."

She was at work at BML - but her downstairs neighbor Denisia Matura was at home when she saw her ceiling on fire:

Denisia Matura
"The roof from upstairs of my room was coming down, I had to grab my baby and my neighbor baby that live beside of me, I had to grab them and run out the house; I couldn't save anything because the whole flooring from upstairs came down in my room."

In total 13 people are homeless and Marva Mendoza says she has absolutely nowhere to go:

Marva Mendoza, Mother of 6
"Yes we are out of door, so I hope the community see us and try assist us with whatever they have to assist us with. I really appreciate whatever they can give; clothes, food, water.....whatever."

The only ones that could help at the volatile scene this morning was the fire department - which seemed to us to struggle to get into the heart of a fire that was fierce but contained.

And it was volatile because of a butane tank that was inside this zinc encased area.

While onlookers gathered on the always crowded street - the fire burned itself out from within destroying everything that was inside.

John Matura - Homeowner
"Nothing insured and everything destroyed, there was no way to save anything; when we saw the fire the house was under heavy blaze and everything just happen."

It started from upstairs where Marva Mendoza lived but she has no idea what started it:

Jules Vasquez
"Do you know what started the fire?"

Marva Mendoza, Mother of 6
"No. I was at work at that moment."

Jules Vasquez
"So you were at work when it started? Did you leave on any stove or anything?"

Marva Mendoza, Mother of 6
"No. I do not."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you have any electricity in the home? Maybe it was a wiring problem."

Marva Mendoza, Mother of 6
"No, I don't have electricity."

The house had been there for 45 years the founding structure of the Matura family that has populated much of the block and gave the adjoining Matura Street its name:

John Matura - Homeowner
"Very sad, all I can say to you guys is that I feel proud that none of my family got hurt and I would really want help in putting up the house back, if there is a way to do that."

If you'd like to help those two mothers - you can call 667-7886.

No determination has been made as to what started the fire. The upper floor where it started to burn did not have electricity.