GoFundMe. Cuellar Family Home in Montara Destroyed by Fire; With Family Safety Plan and Heroic Father Everyone Escaped but Father is in Hospital for Burns and Smoke Inhalation

DONATION. From Cuellar Family GoFundMe and CAL FIRE CZU Facebook, on September 9th, 2026.

Cal Fire CZU: LATE-NIGHT STRUCTURE FIRE IN MONTARA
Quick action by firefighters kept a midnight house fire on Grant Street in Montara from spreading into neighboring homes and vegetation last night.

At 11:43p.m., crews were dispatched to a reported vegetation fire that was quickly upgraded to a residential structure fire. CAL FIRE, Coastside Fire Engine 44 arrived on scene first to find a home on Grant Street fully involved in flames. CAL FIRE, Coastside Fire Engine 41 arrived shortly after to assist with immediate suppression efforts.

Thanks to rapid coordination and aggressive firefighting, the fire was held to a first alarm with no spread to vegetation.

Four occupants were treated, one was hospitalized and three were evaluated and released at scene.

Thank you to all responding agencies including CAL FIRE, Coastside Fire, San Mateo County Fire North County Fire (Pacifica Fire), Colma Fire, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and AMR.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Cuellar Family GoFundMe.
Jordan, Austin, Ryan, and Dylan Cuellar are facing an unimaginable loss after a devastating fire destroyed their home in the middle of the night. In a matter of moments, they lost everything. Because of their preparedness, courage, and quick thinking, and with the incredible response from the Coastside firefighters, everyone made it out safely, including their tenant and her dog, and the fire did not spread. While there is deep gratitude that no lives were lost, the Cuellar family is now left to face the overwhelming reality of starting over after losing their home and belongings.

This fundraiser is to support the Cuellars as they begin the long road to recovery and rebuild their lives. Donations will help them with immediate needs, replace essentials, and provide some stability during this heartbreaking time. Kelsey and Jesse are asking the community to come together for Jordan, Austin, Ryan, and Dylan Cuellar and show them they are not alone. Any support, whether through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser, will mean so much as they recover from this devastating loss.
~ With gratitude, Jen, Patty, Kelsey and Jesse

From Patty Buckley Update on GoFundMe

Thank you to this beautiful community that has rallied for this incredible family so quickly. Now that we have official permission, we wanted to share that this is also a story of heroism.

Austin is currently in the hospital for burns and smoke inhalation. He was in surgery today and is expected to be in the hospital for the next week recovering. Please send him your good wishes to help him through this stage.

Upon smelling smoke in the middle of the night, he ran down the stairs, to get the girls. Thankfully their door was closed, and he was able to get them immediately out the garage and to the driveway. He then went back into the house to ensure that Jordan was able to get out. She was able to climb out the upstairs deck, across the garage roof and onto their driveway.

He then ensured that their wonderful tenant and her dog were also able to get out safely. The firefighters on the scene commented that this outcome came down to a minute or two, and it’s no doubt that Austin’s bravery is why everyone else got out safely.

On top of the family having a safety plan in place, Austin had mowed the lawn this week, and thankfully the wind was still. This combination likely saved the fire from spreading even wider across the community.

Anyone who knows Austin and Jordan can speak to their kindness, strength, inclusion, and now, unsurprisingly, their bravery. They are the kind of people that make a community feel like home. As they rebuild their own home from scratch, it’s inspiring to see this community rally around them.

Thank you for supporting them through the challenging days and weeks ahead. Please keep sending your well wishes to Jordan, the girls, and their tenant as they all recover. Most especially, please keep our local hero, Austin, in your thoughts as he recovers.

Sending love and care to each of you as we all hold our loved ones a little tighter tonight.

Author: mdrag

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