Lightning struck a centuryold house in Riviera early Tuesday morning, causing it to burn down, leave a family homeless.

Around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Monica Pena woke up to the sound of rain and thunder and immediately called her co-workers and supervisor in Alice to let them know that she would be in a little late due to the bad weather.

Pena’s 17-year-old son was also in the home, and she didn’t want to leave him behind with the possibility of the electricity going out.

“As soon as I hung up the phone with my co-workers, I heard this loud crash and saw a silver flash from the corner of my eye; my son came running to me and told me to go to the kitchen and see what happened,” Pena said.

It was then that Pena saw picture frames knocked off of the walls, and she saw that kitchen appliances had moved towards the center of the kitchen.

“Flames that looked like a blowtorch were coming from around the oven area, so I grabbed my son, our two puppies, and we ran outside to the car,” Pena said. “I thought about going back in to get some of our belongings, including items that belonged to my late mother, but decided not to, and I’m so glad I didn’t because in a matter of minutes the whole house was engulfed in flames,” she said.

Pena and her son watched their house burn down from inside of her vehicle and she called 9-1-1 hysterically, which prompted the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Department to respond.

Deputy Valerie Enzenbacher was the first to respond to the scene followed by the Ricardo and Riviera Volunteer Fire Departments, however, there was nothing worth salvaging.

“By the time everyone got there everything was gone,” Pena said.

“It had been raining the whole time the house was burning but even the rain didn’t seem to help.”

Her father-in-law built the home, located on County Road 2280, in the early 1900s.

He was a sharecropper who had saved money over time and built the home for generations of his family to live in.

“Everyone in our family lived there at some point,” Pena said. “It was a place where our family gathered and a refuge for anyone who needed it.”

Pena had lived in the home with her husband and son the past three years.

Her husband was away at work at the time of the fire and the home was uninsured and the family was not able to salvage anything from the home.

“Even though there are a lot of things that were irreplaceable, I am just grateful that me and my son were able to get out in time,” Pena said. “That is what is most important.”

She said she has been overwhelmed by people from the area who have opened up their homes and hearts to her and her family, all with no questions asked.

“The outpouring of support has been amazing,” Pena said.

“It really shows how good and caring the people of this area are.”

Pena said people have been calling her from Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley offering to help her in anyway possible.

Samantha Smith, a 16-year-old student at H.M. King High School has been gathering up items for Pena and her family through the group Operation Role Model.

“She really has been a blessing, and I am just in awe of her and her big heart,” Pena said.

“She has gathered people from the high school and has given so much to us and she is an amazing young lady.”

Pena said a group of area youths are also going to the site of the home this weekend the clear out the debris.

Coastal Bend Fellowship, the church Pena attends, is donating a four room square barrack, which is currently behind the church and will be moved to her land in Riviera.

“It doesn’t have plumbing or a kitchen but we are hoping to add those to it over time and be settled in by the time my older son comes home in July,” Pena said.

Her 23-year-old son is currently serving his second tour of duty in Iraq and is scheduled to come home on leave for two weeks in July.

He found out about the fire from the online social networking site, Facebook, where he read posts of condolences from family and friends on his mother’s page.

“That’s how he first found out but I called him and spoke to him about it and he was just grateful that nobody was hurt and that we are all being taken care of,” Pena said.

The Coastal Bend Chapter of the American Red Cross paid for the family to stay two nights at an area hotel and through donations the family is currently staying at another area hotel.

“There really are so many people to thank including my friends and family also Bay Area Fellowship and area churches who have got in contact with me offering to help, it really has been amazing,” Pena said.

An account has been set up at the Chemcel Federal Credit Union in Pena’s name for anyone who wishes to donate to the family.

Construction materials such as lumber, plumbing, and appliances are also being accepted for the construction of their new home over the next few weeks and an area citizen has donated a storage unit to house everything in the meantime.

Anyone wishing to donate can contact Pena at (361) 522-4034.

“Although this has been a tragedy the outpouring I have received has brought so much light and goodness to my heart,” Pena said.

“It will take some time but I am just so grateful for the people of this community and everyone who has shown my family kindness. I couldn’t thank you enough.”