LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - Loved ones are grieving the lost of a great-grandmother, and internationally recognized artist, killed in a house fire on Mt. Helix this past weekend.
“It’s traumatizing. It’s etched in mind. I can’t get the flames out of my mind,” said Hannah Henderson.
Hannah Henderson was the primary caregiver for her 84-year-old grandmother, Janice, bedridden with several ailments.
Henderson says just past 11 a.m. Saturday, she gave her grandmother her medication, changed her and let her nap, heading down one floor to her own room. Her grandmother had access to an intercom in case she needed something.
15 minutes later, the dog started barking, and then the neighbor's gardener rushed into the house.
“He was saying, Vamos! Vamos! Vamos!” said Henderson.
In the air was the smell of smoke.
Henderson looking toward her grandmother's room, a wall of flame.. She took several steps up, and was pushed back by the flames and heat, knocking her into a wall.
She says the gardener then pulled her out of the home.
After fire crews arrived and extinguished the fire, the remains of her grandmother were found in the bedroom.
“Still in shock. My heart hurts. My body hurts,” said Henderson.
Henderson calls her grandmother, loving, strong-willed and talented.
Henderson says Janice was a Navy nurse turned well-known driftwood artist and sculptor, with several works at the San Diego Zoo.
“She would get a piece of wood, see things no one else could see, and then create these masterpieces,” said Henderson.
Henderson says dozens of her pieces were destroyed in the fire, while those in a garage were untouched.
Henderson’s family hopes to help preserve her art, both in private and public collections.
“Her legacy will forever live on due to her artwork, and that does give me some comfort,” said Henderson.
The sheriff's investigation into the fire is ongoing. Henderson says the gardener did describe seeing fire coming from the outdoor jacuzzi, near the bedroom.
A Gofundme campaign has been started to help the family with memorial and other expenses.
