Of all the homes we could have chosen to do our live show and live shots for "Anderson Cooper 360" tonight, we chose the home of Marilyn and Gordon Wood.
We didn't know we were standing at the edge of their driveway reporting from their crumbled burned out home on this San Diego hillside until they showed up in tears.
Escorted by police, they were getting their first glimpse of what was left of their home since they fled on Monday.
Marilyn showed me where their bed used to be and where her washer and dryer were. She tried to help me picture the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that looked out on the valley ... until they were blown to bits in the fire.
Marilyn told me they got out in less than 15 minutes. The flames were at the bottom of their hill -- a three acre drop -- and by the time her husband got dressed, the fire was already on the side of the house.
They left everything behind: passports, wedding rings, memories. They had lived here seven years. It was so sad to see this grown man and woman cry. They had built a life like so many and lost it in just minutes.
Marilyn has had nightmares ever since. Gordon says his wife wakes him up several times a night telling him she thinks the house is on fire. She wants to go see family in Canada to find some peace, but her passport is gone.
They do plan to rebuild here -- the very same spot. The neighborhood, she says, was gorgeous, and it will be again.
-- By Randi Kaye, CNN Correspondent