Maya the Macaw missing after Apache Junction house fire
PHOENIX - The damage left behind after an Apache Junction house fire is obvious, but the family lost something they can't replace, their beloved pet Macaw as she flew away from the fire.
Judy Franco Ortega’s house started burning around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The furniture was lost in the flames and the memories turned to ash.
They sadly lost their dog in the fire.
"My husband and my mother were inside the house. The first explosion, they got out," Franco Ortega said.
Now, she's looking for her bird, Maya, a blue and gold macaw who she says flew out the back door.
"I’ve been looking inside. Looking for feathers, her body or something. It’s not there. I think she had time to fly, I think she did," Franco Ortega said.
This is where Flower comes in. Flower is Debbie Schweikardt's beloved bird and a search and rescue flyer for the Arizona Avian Alliance.
They’re hoping they can help find Maya.
"We’re hoping in this instance because it’s been more than 48 hours that someone has Maya. She landed on their house, or their car, in their garage or something like that and they may have taken in her in," Schweikardt said.
Franco Ortega is hopeful that all won’t be lost to the fire.
"I hope I find her. I hope I can find her. I hope she’s safe. I just want to find something from her to know where she’s at or what happened," she said.
If you see Maya contact the Arizona Avian Alliance at 480-788-5532.