ROCHESTER, Wash. — Manny Roco makes a living restoring, repairing and reselling collector cars.
A fire Saturday, fueled by hot, dry conditions on a breezy afternoon, destroyed more than 20 of the cars on his Rochester property.
“They are my babies,” said Roco, who was able to salvage a handful of the cars.
The fire also destroyed his home.
He escaped wearing a pair of shorts and sandals. Roco said he lost everything else in the fire.
He remains thankful, however. Thankful he was not injured, and that his wife was not home at the time of the fire.
“I wanted to say how gracious my neighbors and friends and family support have been,” said Roco, fighting back tears.
Roco’s next door neighbor, Melissa Inman, called Roco when she smelled smoke.
Roco was asleep on his couch.
"She saved my life," said Roco.
Investigators have not determined what caused the fire, but they said it started at a nearby property, in an area where several recreational vehicles were parked.