Sifting through a dirty plastic bag, Maricela Fregoso picked out the soot-covered items with the utmost care.

"This is a candle that was at my daughter's baptismal candle," she said. "Oh, and this is my first shoe I ever wore."

The items are few, burned and contorted after experiencing high levels of heat, but Maricela only describes them as "holy."

They are also the only items remaining from her home.

Last Friday, the Fregoso family woke up to the smell of smoke and quickly realized their kitchen was on fire. Maricela rushed to take her three daughters outside while her husband, Humberto, stayed to extinguish the flames. After water failed to control the fire, he left the house to meet up with his family.

The fire, caused by a spark from a kitchen electrical outlet, quickly jumped onto the drapes and spread from the kitchen to the living room in mere minutes. Even after Jerome Rural Fire District crew members responded to the scene, the house was clearly unsalvageable by dawn.

Now the Fregoso family is trying to rebound from the loss. But with financial and emotional challenges, the family is recovering slowly.

They have had some help, though. Idaho Red Cross representatives connected the Fregoso family with several aid agencies. So far, South Central Community Action Partnership and the Salvation Army have provided clothes and other resources for the family.

"People have been generous and donated items, but it's not the same," Maricela said. "The stuff that you buy is bought with your own sweat and heart. People giving you stuff isn't the same thing for you to build a home."

The Fregosos plan on moving into a temporary house in downtown Jerome on Tuesday, but, for now, the family has been living apart. Maricela and her daughters are staying at her parents' house. Humberto has stayed with his family in Eden to stay closer to his job at a Jerome-based dairy. She said that her parents have been financially taxed with her staying at the home - Maricela's parents are trying to fend off a pending foreclosure.

"You never plan for something like this," she said. "It puts a strain on everyone."

As Christmas approaches, the Fregoso family will most likely forgo presents and focus on replenishing their home.

"My family was spared, that's all that matters," Maricela said.