Illegal fireworks may be to blame for burning 2 Antioch homes

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) -- A homeowner believes illegal fireworks are to blame for a fire that gutted two Antioch homes after the Fourth of July. The house fire started just before 3 a.m. Wednesday. Everyone made it out safely, with one man saying his dogs woke him and his wife up just in time.

Extensive fire damage in an Antioch backyard on D Street, but inside Paul Thatcher's home, you can see how close the flames came to Paul, his wife and their dogs.

"What if they would have ran out the doggy doors into that fire? What if we wouldn't have woken up?" said Thatcher.

With holes in his ceilings and the smell of burned debris in the air, Paul stood inside his destroyed home and described what happened when he got out of bed to see why the dogs were barking.

VIDEO: More than 60 fires in Contra Costa Co. likely started by July 4th fireworks, officials say

Among the dozens of suspected fireworks-related incidents in the East Bay, a man severely damaged his hand, a teenager was injured, a house was burned down, and a 3-acre fire that got close to homes was started.

"The freaking doggy door is orange and I'm going, what the hell? I open the door and all I see is boom, flames outside!"

Paul then ran to wake up his wife.

"And I wake her up I said, 'Sweetie get up, get up, the house is on fire! Go out the front, just get Amy and go! Let's go, let's go! Get out, get out and that's it'." said Thatcher.

The two were able to get out but when we asked Paul how he's doing now, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

VIDEO: Chaotic 4th of July sideshow in Antioch with illegal fireworks

Chaos broke out in Antioch Tuesday night as crowds gathered for a sideshow while lighting illegal fireworks at the same time.

"Not so good. Well, the hardest part is not... I got to get it together. The hardest part is not losing all your stuff, you know. I still have cold drinks in the fridge, you guys want one? The hardest part is not losing all your possessions, the lady next door - she lost her little dog," said Thatcher.

Paul told us that on July Fourth, he was playing guitar under a tree in his backyard but now you can barely make out that it was even a tree, and his guitars are gone, destroyed in the fire.

"There's my gold top. Where's the gold top now?" asked Paul as he showed us what's left of his guitars.

He also lost his harmonica collection. It's unclear what sparked this fire but crews say fireworks may be to blame.

"They've been doing it for years and it's getting worse every year. Hey, I'm alive, my wife is alive, and I have my dogs, our neighbor doesn't," said Thatcher.

Friends have set up a GoFundMe for the family to help during this difficult time, here's how to help.

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