Livermore community helps Navy veteran who lost RV home in fire

LIVERMORE, Calif. - This Memorial Day weekend, people in Livermore are trying to help a Navy veteran begin to rebuild his life. The man lost virtually everything in a fire.

67-year-old Ronald Weber and his dog, Buddy, survived the fire Friday afternoon, and are now trying to figure out how to survive the aftermath. 

It was around 1:00 p.m. when Weber said he was starting his RV to charge the battery.

"And then I heard a pop, and then I saw smoke coming out, and the fire and everything just took over," said Ronald Weber.

The fire tore through the RV Weber and his dog had been living in for nearly eight years, but they managed to escape out the driver's door.

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The RV has been parked in the Lowe’s lot in Livermore on First Street, and contained Weber’s life.

"I had everything. I had my family pictures and lost that," said Weber.

Though the Navy veteran has lost virtually everything, he’s won some new supporters and friends, such as Dwayne Woods who met Weber after the fire, and is now helping him rebuild his life.

"As Americans, it’s what we should do," said Woods. "We can go out and help all the other nations in the world, but we don’t always look out for our own." 

Woods has been reaching out to branches of the American Legion, and has already gotten enough donations to get Weber a room at a nearby motel for roughly three weeks.

Lowe’s has donated a $200 gift card, Safeway employees next door have collected $450, and the Red Cross has given $500.

And there have been plenty of other people handing over donations.

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"We don’t show a lot of gratitude to the people who help us and protect us, so I just wanted to do something.  The least I could do is help out with this," said Dillon Kellar.

"All the people. I think it’s great! I’ve never had that much help," said Weber. 

Weber has no idea how long he’ll be able to stay at the motel, and fears he could become homeless.

But his new friend, Dwayne Woods, and others are helping to prevent that from happening.

"I come from a military family and it’s just really what we should do," Woods said. He set up a gofundme account for Weber so others in the community can donate.