A 34-year-old father from California and his four young children have died after a fire tore through the camper they had moved into about a month earlier.
Late on Sunday, Dec. 7, at around 11:18 p.m. local time, firefighters were called to a residence near South Indiana Street in Porterville, a small city in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, according to a release from the Porterville Fire Department. When crews arrived, the flames were already intense, but they were able to pull five people from the home.
“Despite the rapid lifesaving efforts of firefighters, paramedics, and supporting agencies, all five victims were pronounced deceased,” the department said.
Sgt. Will Perryman of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office confirmed that the adult victim was 34-year-old Cody Schuler. His four children — two boys and two girls between 18 months and five years old — were the other victims, friends and authorities told ABC affiliate KFSN.
In the days since the tragedy, neighbors have created a small memorial near the burned trailer, leaving flowers and stuffed animals to honor the young family.
“His kids were his entire world,” Schuler’s longtime friend, Alex Olmos, told KFSN. Schuler worked multiple jobs as a handyman and was known for his dedication to his children. The family had recently moved into the trailer, which they had been living in for about a month.
Officials are still working to determine the exact cause of the fire. Porterville Fire Department Chief Bryan Cogburn told KFSN that investigators believe it “most likely started in the trailer,” but the investigation remains ongoing.
Neighbors and friends have remembered Schuler as warm, outgoing, and deeply devoted to his children.
“He would light up a room and keep it lit with his personality and the love that he had,” a neighbor identified as Armando told KFSN.
“If everybody could see how he was with his kids,” the neighbor added, “you guys would nominate him for father of the decade.”
Friends told KFSN that the children’s mother has not spoken publicly but has asked that any donations be made to a funeral home in Porterville to help with arrangements.
“You’re not forgotten,” Olmos said of how he will remember Schuler and the children. “We’re still here, we still love you. You know, you’ll always be remembered for the person that you were.”
