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Burglarized During King Fire, Placerville Family Looks For Help

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) – A Placerville family is trying to recover some of their losses after being forced to leave their home as the King Fire burned only miles away.

What they didn't expect is to come home and find out they were burglarized.

Flames from the King Fire forced hundreds of people to leave their homes for days. The McClung family was one of them.

"It was real hectic. There was smoke everywhere," said Kim McClung. "We got our lives and we headed out."

Samantha McClung says she was allowed back in a couple days later to feed their animals. But that trip to check on the home soon became devastating as she noticed they had been burglarized.

Now that the fire is almost completely out, the family is setting up a GoFundMe account to try and get community support that could help buy back some of what they've lost.

"Who could have done this? Why did they want to do this?" Samantha said.

The thieves stole expensive equipment Samantha uses for the artwork she creates. They also took marijuana plants the family grows for Kim, who is in remission after being diagnosed with liver cancer years ago.

"[It] helps me eat, helps me sleep, keeps me calm," Kim said.

The family says they feel violated knowing burglars were in their home during a time of fear and uncertainty for so many.

"It was like too much you walk into a situation and you realize, bam, somebody else has been here not from the last time I've been here," Samantha said. "So it's an eerie feeling knowing someone was just browsing through your home."

A family friend set up the GoFundMe account online. Head to this link if you want to help the McClung family out- http://www.gofundme.com/f4i7io.

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