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A desert couple struggle to pick up the pieces after a fire destroys their business, with losses estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Holly Carlyle and Jeff Burgess walk through what used to be their antique store, Desert Curios in Yucca Valley. A fire last Wednesday wiped out almost everything in their unique collection and the building itself.
“It’s been a lot of work,” said Burgess. “You have to come in and start looking through the rubble, and the damage to the store was enormous.”
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One item at a time, they spill through the charred remains. Books, works of art, furniture, jewelry – precious treasures all blackened by flames.
“It’s all we have, it’s all we strive to protect,” Carlyle said. “Magnificent and irreplaceable objects that we have spent a lifetime collecting. “
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The owners have said that one of the most devastating elements of the tragedy is that their beloved cat Biscuits is missing.
“For almost five hours, we hand dug through the rubble, wanting to make sure she wasn’t there,” Burgess said. “It was a relief when we hadn’t found her.”
Kimberly Sonntag was a loyal Desert Curios customer and friend of the owners. She finds a silver lining: “The blessing is that this will bring the community together and it will allow Holly and Jeff to build back bigger and better,” she said.
“We’re trying to do our best as quickly as possible because that’s not an option; we plan to reopen,” Carlyle said.
Desert Curios is hosting a volunteer cleanup event on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The store is located at 56001 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA 92284.
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