BRADENTON – Karina Lopez, her mother, Francisca Lopez, and her father, Adrian Lopez, moved into a new apartment Wednesday, just minutes away from the remnants of their previous home.
An explosion and house fire caused by a gas leak destroyed the Lopez’s home in December. Karina, who was at work during the explosion, and her parents survived the explosion, though her father only recently left the hospital and is attending therapy to recover from his injuries.
Karina said her family is thankful they have a stable place to live again, a place to grieve and heal the loss of her brother, 23-year-old Adrian “Junior” Lopez, who died Jan. 13 at Largo Medical Center. A GoFundMe campaign is collecting donations to help with his funeral costs.
“The Lopez family thought they lost everything in the explosion, all of their material possessions and their home. Now, with the passing of Junior, the Lopez family has truly lost the most important piece of their lives, their only son and brother,” the GoFundMe post reads.
Season of Sharing dollars combined with another grant paid for the family’s lodging for nearly three months until they found an apartment with help from a housing specialist at Turning Points. An anonymous donation to the Manatee Community Foundation helped them move in.
Continue reading the Herald-Tribune article – https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/manatee/2021/02/23/after-gas-explosion-destroyed-their-manatee-home-lopez-family-move-into-new-apartment/4511405001/
