Mother Fights for Her Life After Daughter and Husband Killed in Fairview Fire: 'She Lost Everything'

Tommy McArdle
·3 min read
Tina, Mikayla, and Ian Compton
Tina, Mikayla, and Ian Compton

GoFundMe

Tina Compton lost her home, her husband, her daughter and her pets in the Fairview Fire — and now she's in the hospital, fighting for her own life.

Friends of the Hemet, California woman spoke out about the tragedy in a series of interviews and social media posts this week, all while vowing to stay by her side.

On Tuesday, Tina and her loved ones were trying to escape the blaze as it burned through thousands of acres in Southern California. But tragically, their car became surrounded by flames.

The fire took the lives of Tina's husband Ian Compton, their 27-year-old daughter Mikayla Porter and the family's dogs. Tina survived but remains in critical condition, with third-degree burns across her legs and arms .

"She lost everything," Melissa Gardner, a friend of the family, told CBS News. "She has nothing."

According to Gardner, the Compton family asked her husband "to go help evacuate them and their fur babies." But by the time they arrived, "the fire had moved so fast, so rapidly that they wouldn't let us go through to help them."

"While they were in their vehicles trying to flee the scene, is when all of it got lost," Gardner said.

Another neighbor who happens to be a retired firefighter heard Tina screaming and was able to save her from the inferno. But her neighbors know the tough road she has ahead, both physically and emotionally.

"She will survive. She's a fighter. She's a strong woman," Dannette Maurer, another friend, told CBS News on Wednesday. "But, it's going to be a very long road. More so emotionally, I think, than physically.

A firefighter works to save a home during the Fairview Fire in Hemet, California, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. In Southern California, two people were killed and one injured by the Fairview Fire, which started Monday near the city of Hemet, the Riverside County Fire Department said.
A firefighter works to save a home during the Fairview Fire in Hemet, California, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. In Southern California, two people were killed and one injured by the Fairview Fire, which started Monday near the city of Hemet, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty

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Another friend, Kimberly Valadez, created a GoFundMe page Wednesday to raise money for funeral expenses, medical bills "and anything Tina may need during this tragic time." As of Friday morning, it has raised more than $19,600 out of the page's stated $100,000 goal.

"Tina is the most selfless, loving, giving, kind hearted person. She is a very proud and devoted mother of her beautiful daughter Mikayla who was diagnosed with autism at a young age," the description on the GoFundMe page reads. "Tina was also married to the love of her life, Ian. Tragically, yesterday she lost them both in the Fairview Fire in Hemet, Calif. along with all of her fur babies, home, and belongings."

"Tina is currently in the burn unit with third degree burns and will be there for some time. She has a lot of healing and rebuilding ahead of her," the description continues. "I am creating this GoFundMe in hopes to raising money for funeral expenses, medical expenses, and anything Tina may need during this tragic time. Thank you for all of the love and support for Tina during this time."

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September 07: Firefighters protect a structure surrounded by fire at the top of Fairview Avenue during the Fairview fire in Hemet on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022.
September 07: Firefighters protect a structure surrounded by fire at the top of Fairview Avenue during the Fairview fire in Hemet on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022.

Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty

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As of Thursday night, the Fairview Fire had blazed through 27,319 acres and was only five percent contained since it started Monday, according to Cal Fire.

Its cause is still under investigation, while a status update from Cal Fire said the flames "will continue to spread in all areas due to shifting winds ahead of Hurricane Kays arrival."