NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) - Friends have set up a GoFundMe to assist a Neenah native and her partner who lost everything in the southern California wildfires. Melissa Heinz said it was always her dream to live in southern California. She said she was able to make it happen about 20 years ago when she made the move west. After living out there for awhile, she moved into a beautiful apartment in Altadena with her partner Karla and their dog Pablo. "Really making it our home and we loved the community and everything about it," she told Local 5 News in an interview on Monday evening. Heinz said she was going on a pre-planned vacation to the Fox Valley to visit her folks the day the fire began. She said authorities had said that it'd be windy while she was gone, but that she had no way of knowing that a devastating wildfire would ravage her community. Wisconsin Red Cross workers among those helping fire victims in California "You know I kind of have my last video of my dog barking at the wind because the trees were going crazy that was the moment I left my apartment. I never thought it'd be the last time I saw it," she said. "And it (a devastating wildfire in her community) never seemed like a realistic thing, it always seemed so far away like it's never going to hit the city."  She said as she was making her way through the airports on her journey to the Fox Cities, she said that she began receiving texts and calls that a wildfire was beginning to spread through her community. "I had gotten a text when I landed in Chicago at the airport one of my friends had told me that the Altadena post office had burned down which is a block away from my place and the treeline went right to my apartment," she said. Later on her way to the Fox Cities she received even worse news. "By the time I landed in Appleton I got a phone call that we had lost everything, whatever was in my luggage was all I owned," she said. "When she called me I think it was just shock, she was crying on the phone at the time and I think I was in complete utter shock."  Heinz showed Local 5 News pictures of charred vehicles in her neighborhood and a before and after picture of her driveway and apartment. Taquitos sold at Aldi in Wisconsin recalled after customer complains of ‘dental injury’: USDA "It is not just the tangible items that we lost that is heartbreaking, I was in love with that town, I was in love with that apartment," said Heinz. Her friends have set up a GoFundMe to help support her during this difficult time. For those interested in donating, please click here. The goal for the fundraiser is $60,000 and according to the GoFundMe page it will help them  with 'immediate essentials like clothing, food, and temporary housing, as well as helping them replace essential belongings and secure a stable living situation.' Heinz is still in the Fox Cities, but said she and Karla want to find another apartment in southern California to rebuild their lives. She said although it's devastating she's eternally thankful that Karla and their dog weren't hurt. She said the support from her friends and family mean everything to her.