Members of a Kalispell family is working to put their lives back together after a fire destroyed their home and all their possessions Monday afternoon.

Niki Guzman said her four children were at school, her husband was at work and she was running errands when their Fourth Street West home caught fire.

“Yesterday was my hard day, my reality day, everything kicked in,” she said Wednesday afternoon. “Right now we’re doing all right, just trying to take one day at a time and one step at a time.”

The fire occurred as Guzman is approaching her 31st birthday, less than three weeks away on June 26.

The family has been staying at a local motel at which the American Red Cross paid for a two-night stay. Local churches also stepped up and helped fund an additional two nights while the family continues to look for a new home.

“Unfortunately the place we were at we didn’t have a [cash] deposit, it was paid for by us cleaning up what was already there and fixing things,” Guzman said. “So we have no money for a deposit to get into a place.”

Despite that lack of money, they have been looking at apartments and plan to apply for one. In the meantime, they are looking for help anywhere they can get it, and local organizations are continuing to step up.

So far, they have received aid from Glacier Mountain Fellowship and Family Life Christian Church, and Guzman had a meeting with people at Fresh Life Church later that day. The local Salvation Army provided the family with some clothing vouchers.

The Hadwin family, which owns the local McDonald’s restaurants — one of which employs Guzman’s husband, Sean — has been helping support the family, as have Sean’s coworkers.

Guzman said the family’s next most important need is items for the children — sons Angelo, 7, Jackson, 12, and Kevin, 13, and daughter Kimberly, 10. They are looking for clothing, toys and furniture.

An additional challenge for the family is Jackson, who has mental health issues and borderline autism.

“Jackson’s struggling with the transitions and not having something stable,” Guzman said. “He needs to be in a routine all the time.”

Kimberly is upset that she has lost all her books and Barbies, while Angelo was sad to lose his Superman lunch pail. Guzman was quick to point out, however, that Kevin has been helping take care of his siblings.

Anyone interested in donating items or services to the Guzmans can contact Niki’s father, Kenny Guzman, at (406) 885-7764, or her mother, Connie Heuscher, at (406)250-2412.

Family friend Katherine Johnson said a benefit account has been opened in Niki’s name at Whitefish Credit Union, and anyone wishing to donate money for the family can do so at any Whitefish Credit Union location.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.